Bad Bromance
by Dreamy Loner
Summary: Being shot in the head by his brother, Lifty wakes up from his death remembering nothing at all. Rendered guilty, the older twin knows better than anyone else he's well responsible for his sibling's trauma and anguish. As their tarnished brotherhood continues to deteriorate, Shifty has to find ways to retrieve Lifty's lost, mingled memories. Lifty x Splendid x Shifty.
1. Heist

***A/N* Well...got the idea out of nowhere. Feel kinda frustrated because there aren't many tales about the twins and the hero. Damn, they are an intriguing combination, don't you think? At least, there's always something going on between heroes and villains. **

**That's why this time, I'm attempting another one with a sadder plot I guess...? I'm not sure if I want to ship them together but there should be some friendship and subtle affections, not necessarily yaoi which explains the title of this tale. It'll focus more on the emotional aspect. Still, I'm struggling to decide if I should continue or not. The first chapter is, after all, written out of mind-blowing boredom lol. **

***Disclaimer* I do not own the characters. They all belong to Mondo Media.**

***Remarks* The story takes place when all the three main characters are in their late-teens. Everyone in the story is in human/anime form. **

***Warning* There is violence and swearing. Shouldn't be very gory. **

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

Stealing comes with a price. Shifty knew it. And yet, the temptation was too hard to resist. He could starve himself for weeks. He could refrain from having sex for months. But he could never ever cease stealing for a single day.

It could have been better if he wasn't committing crimes with his twin brother. He had a list of good reasons why they should never have worked together. First, they never really cooperated well. Midway through their heist, they would always start bickering. When something went astray, they would indisputably blame each other. Their inadequate team work was pretty much conducive to their frequent failures in robbery. Second, they might share the same appearance but their personalities were completely poles apart. While the older one always knew what he wanted to get, the younger twin was usually a tentative follower. Shifty was often the schemer, the director and the greatest contributor during their heist. As for his brother, Lifty, he was usually caught in much confusion as to what he was supposed to do. He seemed to have gotten quite accustomed to Shifty's bossing around and he would indeed strive to comply with Shifty's request. But he could never achieve enough to please the older one. That explained the third point- Shifty always had to sacrifice him. As much as he loathed confronting their ultimate nemesis, Splendid, Shifty hated to abandon Lifty when things got complicated and dangerous. He was the type that cared more of himself than anyone else. Despite feeling guilty afterwards, it never dissuaded him from making the same mistake. When it came to saving his own life, Shifty would undoubtedly trade it with Lifty's. He would watch his younger twin die in front of his eyes knowing he had once again become the fiercest traitor of all time. As long as the twins stuck together, these problems would simply keep on re-looping in an infinite vicious cycle. In the end, both boys would admit the fact that they should never have been partners in crime. They were the worst pair to be honest. Even so, they still clung to each other.

This time, however, it was Shifty's entire fault that they were both trapped in an irreversibly horrendous situation. He should never have suggested ransacking the war veteran's house, realizing that this psychotic sergeant suffered from severe PTSD and he killed like a lunatic. Still, greed took the best of the twins. When they were offered any opportunities, they would neglect any perils and consequences.

"Well, well, well, what have we got here?" Flippy smirked, his golden orbs shimmering with menace. "Two lost boys caught in mischief. Defeated. Executed."

The twins wriggled on the ground. Their blood drenched the carpet. With much difficulty, Shifty crawled over to one corner and slumped against the wall, his hand clamped over his broken thighs. Lifty was still convulsing on the floor, coughing up massive blood. The flipped-out soldier laughed hysterically as he clasped the younger boy and hauled him up.

"Last Christmas, you two broke into my house and stole everything." Flippy said. "I almost let you escape. It seems that you guys haven't learned anything just yet, eh? You thought you could burgle my house when I was out? Ha! You've got to do more practice, dudes. You guys suck at stealing just as much as that dumbass amateur hero sucks at saving lives. Everyone knows that. And you are so dead now."

"Hmmm…" Lifty babbled as more blood flooded his mouth, saturating his lips. His vision was blurred by his tears that erupted out of anguish. The glint of those fresh crimson liquids was sufficient to turn the sadist on. He leaned in and licked off a trace from the corners of Lifty's lips, savoring the sickening substances. The revolting taste of iron set him off a little. With a forcible twist, the soldier broke the thief's elbow, causing him to wail in agony. The heartbreaking shriek echoed all through the house. Shifty stared in horror as he witnessed his brother being tortured bit by bit, bearing in mind that he would be next victim. Feeling he had ignored the older one, Flippy released Lifty and turned to grin at Shifty. Lifty collapsed to the ground shuddering and hugging his injured part. Striding towards the older boy, Flippy chuckled slyly.

"N-No…Don't kill me…Please…" Shifty pleaded, rolling backwards.

With one grip, the soldier yanked him up and dragged him across the room, finally tossing his body next to Lifty's.

"Sure, I can spare you." Flippy giggled.

"R-Really?" A beam of light flashed across Shifty's face, his watery eyes sparkling with hope, though he knew well he couldn't expect much from his gruesome opponent.

"Yes." The soldier nodded. Swiftly, he pulled out two handguns. He slipped one into Shifty's hand and kept the other one in his own hands.

"W-What…" Shifty frowned, trembling as Flippy aimed his gun at him.

"Use that gun to kill your brother." Flippy said. "Or I'll shoot you."

The thief froze. The instruction was clear enough but for once, he hesitated. He wondered if Flippy would really keep his promise of sparing him after he slaughtered Lifty.

The younger twin, listening to the entire conversation with full consciousness, twitched a little and turned to gaze at Shifty. His face was torn in angst and pain. Reaching out for his brother's hand, he shot him a pathetic look.

"No…Shift…Don't…" Lifty begged, tears trickling down his beaten cheeks.

Shifty glimpsed his brother, his eyes solid and stern. Immediately, Lifty foresaw his doom. He knew there was no way Shifty would turn against Flippy. Only one of them could survive, if by any chance the soldier really meant what he had said.

"I promise you, Shifty." Flippy asserted. "Shoot him and you'll live."

"Why?" Shifty questioned.

"So many questions." Flippy snorted, squatting down before the thief. "Because it's always fun to see your enemies turn against each other. Betraying your comrades is harsh but sometimes it's the only way to survive."

Shifty shut his eyes and spent a second of contemplation before opening them wide again. He turned to his brother, his hand shaking as he tightened his grip around the gun's handle. Lifty lay back with disappointment, knowing there was no point of imploring anymore. Shifty had backstabbed him for more than he could remember. Each time, his pitiful begs always fell on his brother's inconsiderate, ruthless ears. It wouldn't be any different this time.

"Go on. What're you waiting for?" Flippy urged.

Shifty gulped when he noticed that Lifty was goggling at him. The younger twin's eyes were filled with hollowness and bleakness. It was as though he was saying _"Fine, shoot me all you want. I don't care anymore…"_

"Sorry…Lift." Shifty whispered, pointing the gun right at Lifty's forehead. An earsplitting sound filled the room as he triggered the pistol. The bullet penetrated the younger twin's head and he jolted with a softy gasp before lying inanimately on the ground.

Flippy smiled at his work, shoving the tip of his gun towards Shifty's chin.

"W-What…" Shifty's eyes bulged once he saw that devilish grin plastered on the soldier's face. "Y-You…promised!"

"Really?" Flippy raised his brows. "I don't remember promising you anything, though I must say I have had a good time seeing you shoot your own brother."

With that, he killed the older thief in a flash.

* * *

A ray of blazing sunlight woke Shifty. He forced his lids open, his ears catching the sounds surrounding him. In haze, he heard two people chatter quietly in the room. He flickered his eyes to the two sapphire-haired boys standing near his bedside, one of whom was the nerdy doctor and the other one was the self-claimed superhero.

As soon as they heard Shifty grunt, they spun around.

"Ah, he's awake now." Sniffles said, adjusting his glasses. "I'll leave him to your handle then."

"Okay." Splendid nodded and watched the doctor leave the ward.

Shifty slouched against his pillow and strayed cautiously away from the hero as he approached him.

"W-What do you want?" He interrogated.

"Damn it! Just when will you stop causing trouble around the town?" Splendid snarled, folding his arms indignantly. "I really don't want to deal with you two anymore. You guys might as well rot in jail."

"But I thought we had an agreement." Shifty pinpointed.

One of biggest obstacles these kleptomaniac twins faced in their lifetime was probably this self-declared hero. Ever since the twins started engaging in illegitimate activities, the hero had never stopped hunting them down. Both parties viewed each other as the greatest rival, going as far as attempting to kill each other. Nonetheless, hilarious as it seemed, they were friends to certain extent. At some point, the hero grew tired of chasing down the thieves and the twins were exhausted from always having to evade Splendid. In the end, they proposed an agreement. As long as the amateur hero who was well-known for his irresponsibility and clumsiness in saving his citizens was unaware of the twins' stealing, he would pretend he hadn't witnessed their misdeeds and agreed not to arrest them. And as long as the twins did not bother the hero too much, they would remain as friendly companions.

"Screw you. This is Flippy we're talking about!" Splendid yelled. "He complained to the state government and demanded that you two ought to be locked up forever!"

"What the hell?" Shifty gritted his teeth in fury. "He killed us! And now he wants us imprisoned?! What kind of jerks is he?"

"That was Fliqpy who killed you." Splendid clarified. "And seriously, I have no idea what went into your fucking idiotic mind to have thought you could rob a psychopath. You guys are…ugh…how should I put this…you never learn! And you're most definitely the world's dumbest thief!"

"Shut up! I don't care about your insults. You just can't arrest me!" Shifty pouted. "And you won't do that either!"

"No, I won't." Splendid said. "To be frank, I hate that war veteran more than I hate you two, so I am so not going to help him this time. Luck is on your side, mate."

"Where's Lifty?" Shifty inquired.

"Ugh, finally, I see some conscience in you." Splendid taunted. "Growing worried of your poor brother, huh? What were you thinking when you shot him?"

"Tsk, it's none of your business." Shifty said, hopping out of bed and shoving Splendid out of his way. "It's not like you get along with your own brother either."

"Well, we're different. And mind you, Splendont is not my brother. He's just a clone of me." Splendid stated.

"Whatever." Shifty rolled his eyes and trudged out of the room, followed closely by Splendid.

They barged into the next room where a green-haired teen was still peacefully asleep in bed. Shifty loomed towards his unconscious brother and stared at his pallid face. Gently, he brushed away a strand of hair covering his left eye and sighed.

"Hey, is there something to get him up?" Shifty asked. "We need to go home."

"Can't you just wait until he wakes up by himself?" Splendid argued, rather irritated by Shifty's impatience. Obviously, he was, again, straining his own brother. At times, the hero sympathized with the younger twin who, as far as he reckoned, was involuntary in most of the crimes the twins partook in. The hero had tried to talk some sense into Shifty. He even attempted to instil some morals to someone ever so vulgar and callous that he should never ever abuse Lifty so much and always take their brotherhood for granted. Still, the older thief turned a blind eye to the kind reminders, claiming that Lifty was his brother and thus his property.

"Ah, damn resurrection. Why can't it be faster?" Shifty grumbled, pulling the blanket off Lifty.

"What're you doing?" Splendid asked, scowling.

"Taking my brother home." Shifty answered, sliding one arm under Lifty's neck and the other under his knees. Briskly, he picked up his brother and stomped towards the exit.

"Geez, I said, give him a break!" Splendid reasoned. Although it was practically out of the hero's reach and he was not the nosy kind to meddle in other people's sibling relationships, he couldn't deny he was utterly disturbed every time Shifty acted rudely towards his own twin.

"One of these days, he's going to leave you!" The bluenette warned.

"What?" Unfazed, Shifty turned around and loured at the hero.

"The way you treat him..." Splendid indicated. "I can't just pretend I haven't seen it."

"Oh, and you know what? You're fucking annoying." Shifty growled. "Now if you don't mind, buck off, Splendid. I ain't got time for you."

"Fine. Don't fucking come back and beg me to defend you when Flippy gets you!" Splendid howled and flew off through the window.

"Who needs you anyway." Shifty muttered with disdain.

* * *

Shifty booted open the front door and tramped along the corridor. Still boiling with anger, he cursed the hero several times. He hated it when Splendid poked his nose into their business. Even if he was literally being kind and compassionate, it bugged the thief to know his enemy was turning a soft side towards him. He needed no one to interfere with what he did to his brother, as long as he claimed Lifty to his own.

Roughly, he placed Lifty down on his bed and flopped down in a chair beside him. He knew Lifty would always feel more relieved if he saw Shifty nearby when he woke up. Despite being the culprit of Lifty's death, Shifty was always forgiven. The only thing he had to do was to apologize and feign genuine expression. Then, Lifty would nod with a smile and they were brothers again.

"Ugh, sleepy head, you really have to wake up." Shifty murmured, ruffling Lifty's hair. "We've gotta rob some bank today."

The younger twin squeezed his eyes slightly and opened them, staring straight at the ceiling above him.

"Hey, bro, how're you feeling?" Shifty asked. Even if it was completely shameless of him to question his brother's well-being when he was basically the one constantly plunging him into distress and hassle, Shifty still faked a caring smile.

Lifty didn't respond. He propped himself up with his elbows and sat upright, his eyes roaming over the room and scanning over Shifty from head to toe.

"Hey, Lift, I'm sorry." Shifty said. "I didn't mean to…er…you know I didn't have much choice at that time."

Still, no words escaped Lifty's mouth. Normally, he would have rebutted by now complaining how excruciating his death was and then waiting for Shifty to hug him and reiterate how sorry he was. This time though, the younger twin kept gazing at his brother without a single sign of emotions.

"Lift?" Shifty frowned, apparently concerned that Lifty was snubbing him. For once, he wondered if he had overdone it this time such that Lifty seemed to show no intention of forgiving him.

"Look, how about I get you something to eat? You like what? Pizza? Meat? Chips?" Shifty giggled. "Anything you want. Just say it."

Finally, Lifty blurted out something but it was neither a criticism directed towards Shifty nor a reply to Shifty's question. It was a question, a simple yet astounding question.

"Who are you?" Lifty asked nonchalantly, still keeping his eyes fixated on Shifty's face.

The older twin furrowed his brows awkwardly, pondering hard over Lifty's utterance.

"What?" He cooed in perplexity.

"Who are you?" Lifty repeated. "And where am I? Why am I here? What happened? Ah…who am I again?"

"Lift, are you alright?" Shifty asked anxiously, his forehead beaded with sweat. Something convinced him that Lifty was either sick or pulling a brutal prank on him. The expression on the younger boy's face remained solemn and desolate. He was looking around inquisitively and suspiciously as though he was lost somewhere, his eyes searching desperately for a helpful exit of this labyrinth.

"Lift!" Shifty raised his voice and waved his hands in front of his brother, trying to earn his attention. Lifty focused back on Shifty and tilted his head curiously. "Sorry? Did you say something?"

"Lift! It's not funny! Quit fooling around and answer me! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Shifty shouted, unable to control his temper.

"Who are you?" Lifty asked again, this time, with seeming wariness.

"Gosh, I'm Shifty! Your brother!" Shifty yelled. "Are you out of your mind or something? I told you it's not funny! Stop this game! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Okay? I didn't mean to kill you!"

"Kill me?" Lifty bit his lips and flinched. "Are you going to kill me?"

"What the-" Shifty paused, examining his innocent brother. "Lift, seriously, I hate this joke."

"Where am I?" Lifty continued. "Who are you calling Lift? Is it me? How did I get here?"

"Lifty! Your name is Lifty!" Shifty bawled, getting nervous with his twin's condition. "Lifty, do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"No." Lifty shook his head in dismay. "I…I don't remember a thing…Did you say you're my brother?"

"Geez, do I have to prove it to you?" Shifty yapped, storming out of the room and returning with a piece of mirror. "Look! We look identical, don't we?" He said, pointing to the reflection.

"Oh…yea…" Lifty laughed softly. "We're twins!"

"Lift…" Shifty glanced at his brother in horror. He couldn't describe how much fear was accumulating within him when he saw Lifty applaud naively for the fact that they were twins. Something was absolutely wrong with him now, about which Shifty was certain.

"You…really don't remember anything? How about the day before yesterday? Last week? Last month?"

"I…" Lifty hushed and thought extremely hard for a minute. The outcome was still as nerve-wracking.

"Not r-really…" Lifty said. "I really can't think of anything…Is this our house?"

"Lift! This is your room." Shifty bellowed, quivering with fright. He climbed onto the bed and shook Lifty's shoulders vigorously. "No, I mean it, have you really forgotten everything? Lift, this is me, your brother!"

"Yea, you said that a while ago." Lifty chuckled, petrifying Shifty. He had never seen the younger twin chuckle so childishly. "We're twins! Haha."

"Shit…" Shifty cussed, his hands falling onto each side of his body as he struggled to comprehend the current predicament. Ignoring his frustration, Lifty leapt out of bed and bounced towards the window.

"Wow…so, this is the place we're living in? Hehee, so green and leafy." Lifty sniggered.

"Lift…" Shifty muttered. His brother whirled around with a smile ever so endearing yet enigmatic. "Yes, brother?"

"Er…" Shifty swallowed his words and smiled back vaguely. "Nothing."

"Okay." Lifty chortled and continued exploring the environment.

A stream of tears streamed down the older twin's cheek as he felt his heart slowly subsumed by tremor and remorse.

"Well…er…you stay here for a while. I'll be right back." Shifty fought back his sobs and instructed.

Lifty merely nodded, his concentration now falling on a particular glass bottle he found on his desk.

Hastily, Shifty bolted out and dashed back into the living room. He grabbed the phone and dialed the first number that popped up in his mind. As someone finally picked up the line, he grinned with reassuring tears.

"Ah! Splendid! I need help!" He wailed.


	2. Trauma

***A/N* Yay... chapter 2 is here :3 Since someone's supporting the story, I've decided to continue it. Anyway, read, enjoy & review :D **

* * *

The hero was on his daily patrol when he heard his cell phone chime. Idly, he picked it up and spoke. "Hello? This is Splendid speaking."

"Ah! Splendid! I need help!"

A raspy voice ever so familiar emanated from the other side of the line. Splendid grunted with a disgusted grimace. "What now, Shifty. I'm busy."

It didn't take him long to realize that Shifty was choking in whimpers, slurring in every speech. The hero sighed, immediately knowing that the kleptomaniac must have caused himself some vast trouble again.

"I exhorted you not to try any tricks on that crazy sergeant, didn't I? I told you I wasn't going to defend you if he got you again." Splendid proclaimed.

"No! It's not Flippy." Shifty cried, his hoarse voice startling the blue hero. "It's Lifty!"

The hero tossed the phone away, infuriated that his patrol was ruined by Shifty's abrupt call. Since the thief had acted so malicious to him in the morning, Splendid decided not to heed his problem. Or so he thought…But again, this is Splendid we are talking about. This amateur hero was sordid in his job but compassionate in nature; stubborn and foul as he might appear but effeminate and yielding on the inside.

"Urgh, you had better not be kidding me, Shifty." Splendid gabbled. He halted and turned around, flying towards the direction of the twins' apartment.

A sudden knock on the door brought the bewildered thief a flash of hope. He darted towards the door and opened it. Still looking rather apathetic, Splendid stepped into the apartment and scorned. "Geez, this place looks gross every time I come around. When will you start tidying up?"

"Oi, that's not the right topic!" Shifty said, clutching the hero's elbows and dragging him to one corner.

"Did you say Lifty is sick?" Splendid cocked his brows skeptically. "How can he get ill so fast? He's just gotten resurrected."

"Splendid! Listen up!" Shifty hissed, his facial features compressed altogether. "Something's wrong with Lifty. He…He woke up and said he didn't remember anything."

"Oh?" Splendid smirked, rather amazed by what he deemed was another joke the thieves came up with.

"I'm not messing around with you! I'm damn serious." Shifty said with sentiments, knowing he had to prove it true to the hero somehow. The twins had tricked him enough to disrupt his trust. That also explained why most of the time they remained as rivals more than friends. "You must take a look at him. He's…like totally out of his fucking mind."

"Fine." Splendid said, squinting dubiously at the thief. "If this is one of your silly pranks again, I'm going to punch you both to death."

"It's not a prank! Please, go and check on him." Shifty urged, pushing Splendid into the hallway.

Tentatively, the hero lumbered towards Lifty's room and entered it. The boy was crouching beside the bed reading one of his magazines. Once he spotted the visitor, a winsome smile sprawled across his face.

"Shifty, is Lifty smiling at us?" Splendid widened his eyes and purred to Shifty incredulously. If there was something that could make the hero shiver, it was Lifty smiling sheepishly at him. The boy could only do with a playful pout, certainly not a natural, unsullied smile.

"He is." Shifty whispered back, hardly believing the scene as well. It had been years since Lifty threw a refreshing, boyish smile at him.

"Oh…Hi, Lifty." Splendid greeted, waving his hand at Lifty.

The boy stood up at once and marched towards the hero eagerly. Stunned, Splendid stumbled backwards and cringed as Lifty clasped both of his hands.

"Hello! Are you my brother, too?" Lifty asked merrily, clinging closer to investigate the hero.

Splendid dropped his jaws and gawked at Shifty, who could only shrug in bemusement.

"Er…Lifty? Are you okay?" Splendid asked apprehensively, not sure what to make of the situation. He felt totally uncomfortable with a male touching him so intimately, leaning in keenly as though he was about to devour him.

"Your eyes are gorgeous." Lifty complimented, gazing right into the hero's sapphire orbs. "They are…so blue! It's like I can see the ocean and the sky through them! And I swear for a swift second, they shine! They actually shine! Oh, what's your name again?"

"I…er…" Splendid blushed, dumbfounded by Lifty's speech. "I'm Splendid."

"Splendid! Incredible! What a beautiful name!" Lifty clapped his hands gleefully. "Nice to meet you, Splendid. Are you my brother?"

"Gosh, Lift! This guy is a hero wannabe. He can never have any blood relations with us!" Shifty said, hauling Lifty backwards to distance him from Splendid.

"A hero!" Lifty exclaimed with sheer admiration. "How remarkable! Does that mean you have superpowers? Can you fly?"

The enthusiastic young thief bumped onto the hero again, this time knocking him down. Splendid collapsed to the ground fretfully. For once in his life, he felt terrified, even more threatened when the twins used a kryptonut against him. The way Lifty drooled on hearing he was a superhero sent chills down Splendid's spine.

"Well, can you?" Lifty asked again, his eyes gleaming with delight.

"Yes, I can…" Splendid answered.

"Fabulous!" Lifty praised. "I've always wanted to fly. Do you think you can scoop me up and fly me around the town sometimes?"

"I…" Splendid's unfinished utterance was cut off promptly when Shifty butted in and separated the two again.

"Enough bullshit here, Lift." This time, Shifty commanded his brother to sit still on the bed. It was a task ever so challenging to accomplish because Lifty kept on protesting. To keep him still, they probably needed to tie him in a rope.

"But why?"

"Because I'm your older brother." Shifty said, irked. "Don't come out until I say you can."

Hurriedly, Shifty and Splendid fled from the room and slammed the door behind them. They scooted to a distant corner ensuring that Lifty could not overhear their conversation.

"See? I told you! He's fucking retarded now. What do I do?" Shifty grumbled. He thrust Splendid against the wall, demanding a sensible solution from his more intelligent buddy.

"How…am I supposed to know?" Splendid said, still taken aback by Lifty's radical changes. "This is appalling…How did he become like this? He's like a completely different person! And he's acting like a child."

"Exactly." Shifty whined, seizing the hero's shoulders agitatedly. "Splendid! You must think of something! I BEG YOU! Help me change Lifty back to his old self! This is scaring the hell out of me!"

"And I thought you asked me to buck off." Splendid said, laughing with irony.

"I'm sorry, okay? Come on! You've got to help me. You're the…the only friend I can count on…" Shifty trailed off. To admit the fact that his enemy was also his sole friend was simply pathetic. Nevertheless, no one could neglect the dynamics between the hero and the thieves. After all, they had been acquaintances since childhood. How they had provoked each other was always a myth but nothing could be more baffling than the immense differences between the paths and the roles they had taken in their life. On a stage of drama, the bluenette would always be the hero. The twins would always be the villains. And yet, they were inseparable and indispensable to one another.

"Well, if he's lost all his memories, perhaps there's something wrong with his brain?" Splendid hypothesized, twirling his index finger next to his head. "Why don't we bring him to Sniffles?"

"What a good idea! You're right. We should let the doctor treat him!" Shifty nodded, corroborating the hero.

The ride to the hospital was disastrous. Lifty insisted on flying with Splendid and bargained with Shifty that if he prohibited his interactions with the hero, he would refuse to get out of the house and continue with his tantrum. Eventually, Shifty permitted Splendid to fly Lifty to the hospital, though it was not an appealing option to the hero either. He would only fly someone while saving them. It's not like flying with an additional weight really required a great deal of energy, but it felt absolutely awkward holding a guy in his arms.

"You're amazing, Splendid." Lifty cheered. Peering down actively at the entire view of the town, Lifty was fascinated by most things he had little or no memory of. Whenever he caught sight of something he regarded as intriguing, he would report to the hero laughing all the way through. Splendid could only gape at the thief in awe, speeding up so that they could reach the hospital as soon as possible.

"Are you a friend of ours?" Lifty asked, averting his gaze back at Splendid. "Because I really don't remember having seen you before like I don't remember having a brother either. Haha."

"Um…maybe." Splendid replied, keeping his glance ahead. He could barely notice it when Lifty's eyes tracked down every corner of his handsome face.

"Do you wear a mask because you don't want people to know your identity?"

"Yes."

"Wow…that's just like Superman!" Lifty tittered. "At least, you're more fashionable than him! You don't wear an underwear outside your pants! Your outfit is so stylish! I wouldn't know you were a hero if Shifty hadn't told me about it! Haha."

Splendid scowled at the laughing male, growing increasingly stupefied by his bizarre and irrational behavior. He doubted if he should chuckle alongside him. Sooner or later, the bluenette feared he might be losing his own sanity as well.

"I like your jacket." Lifty said, nestling his head on Splendid's shoulder. "It matches with your eyes."

"Thanks." The hero twitched a little at the embarrassing position they were in. Lifty seemed to have no problem being held up in a bridal style but it was a completely degrading torment for Splendid. He would have dropped Lifty off in the middle of the sky if he was cruel enough.

* * *

As predicted, the news coming out of Sniffles' mouth was deplorable. Shifty and Splendid had thought there would be a less outrageous result than an unconfirmed cause for Lifty's loss of memory.

"Well, you shot him in the head, didn't you?" Sniffles said, skimming through the notes he had jotted down based on Shifty's description. "But that shouldn't be a problem. Everyone ought to get their memories and health revitalized upon resurrection. He shouldn't be getting amnesia and forgetting everything in his previous life. And we've checked his brain in X-ray. There's nothing wrong whatsoever. No tumors, no brain damages, no broken nerves, no bullets found…Nothing."

"So, what might be the reason?" Splendid asked.

"This is an extremely peculiar case, I must say." Sniffles said grimly, trying to retain his professionalism. "I'll have to conclude that there is only one possibility that can fit in the right explanation."

"What's it?" Both Shifty and Splendid asked in unison.

"He's traumatized." Sniffles theorized. "The trauma has made him forget everything. More precisely, his consciousness has instinctively chosen to abandon his prior memories. As a defense mechanism, he refuses to remember something agonizing and horrible. That's why he's behaving like a newly born person."

"This is ridiculous!" Shifty lashed out, grasping the doctor's collars. "You had better think of something to cure him!"

"I can't." Sniffles said. "As much as I want to help your brother, I am incapable of doing so. The trauma is induced by the events he has experienced throughout his life. He is the only one in charge of his own memories. I can only give you some pills to maintain his mental stability. Other than that, you will have to wait until he gets over this trauma."

"Isn't there something else we can do?" Splendid asked.

"Probably." Sniffles nodded. "If you bring him to some familiar places he used to frequent or do something he often did in the past, it might retrieve some fragments of his memories. Again, it's up to him to recover on his own."

"Damn it! Is this all you have to say?" Shifty clenched his fists, so exasperated that Splendid had to calm him down.

"Shifty, mind your manners." Sniffles said. "Or I'm going to call the security guards."

"Fuck you!" Shifty roared. "A doctor you are and you can't even treat a patient!"

"Shifty, it's your fault that he's like this." Sniffles responded harshly. "You're the reason for his trauma. And must I remind you, your brother is now acting younger than he is. Since most of his life experience has been wiped out together with his memories, his mindset and intelligence is only compatible with that of a ten-year-old. And in his current state, he is mentally delicate. You have to be exceptionally cautious with what you say and do to him. Otherwise, he'll never overcome the trauma."

"This…can't be happening!" Shifty sniveled, flailing his arms frantically. "You're lying! You're wrong! He's just sick in the head! You've got to treat him for me! PLEASE!"

"Splendid, would you please get him out of here?" Sniffles sighed dolefully.

"Yes, sorry about that, Sniffles." Splendid said, grabbing Shifty's wrist.

"Don't touch me! I ain't finished with you yet, Sniffles!" Shifty shrieked. "You dumbass nerd! I'm going to sue you! You'll lose your medical license for sure! You will-"

Before Shifty could finish his castigation, Splendid knocked him out with a smack.

"I'm sorry, Sniffles." The hero apologized once more, picking up the unconscious thief and heading towards the door.

"It's okay." Sniffles smiled tolerantly.

* * *

Wandering aimlessly in the street, Lifty's face lit up as he saw Splendid leave the hospital with his brother. He scampered towards the hero and asked about his fainted twin.

"Oh, he's…sleeping." Splendid whispered. "Don't wake him yet."

He led Lifty to a van parked nearby. Putting Shifty in the backseat, he gestured Lifty to settle down with him in the front.

"And I suppose you don't remember how to drive, eh?" Splendid said, shutting the door.

"Nope…but I can try, maybe?" Lifty giggled.

"Um…it's okay, Lifty. I'll drive you home." Splendid smiled, obviously not letting Lifty handle the wheel. The next thing he knew, they might all crash into a tree or something.

"Why can't we fly home?" Lifty asked.

"Because we'll have to bring your brother home as well." Splendid explained, starting the engine. He wasn't used to driving, though he did carry a license. He mostly preferred floating around to traveling in some crappy vehicles, like the one owned by the twins.

"And I can't have you both in the sky. It'll be overweight." He lied.

"Oh, I see." Lifty nodded showing his understanding. He flopped back in his seat and leaned against the window.

"So, Lifty, is there something you actually remember?" Splendid asked as the van plodded down the road. He just hoped his so-called driving skills would lead them to a safe end.

"I think I like meat pies." Lifty said. "I just saw a booth outside the mall. I wanna have a bite."

"No, I mean if you remember anything from your past?"

Lifty withdrew from the window and ogled the bluenette in puzzlement. Pressing his lips together, he scratched the back of his neck uneasily. "Splendid, do I really have to remember it? Because I really have no clue right now."

"No, of course not." Splendid grinned. "You don't necessarily have to remember anything if you don't feel like to. It's just…I'm curious."

"Oh, it seems that Shifty wants me to remember something too." Lifty rubbed his chin in deep thoughts. "I wonder why I can't remember a single thing! And most of the time, I have no idea what you two are talking about."

"Really?" Splendid gulped. "Well, you should have asked if you don't understand something."

"Okay." Lifty nodded obediently. "You're really kind, Splendid."

The hero flushed, again confounded by Lifty's random compliment. It was logical for him to praise someone as marvelous as Splendid because he was no longer a thief, or at least he had forgotten he was one. And so, by that standard, they were no enemies anymore, though Lifty couldn't remember having once been the hero's nemesis. His mannerism was awfully shocking and like Sniffles had mentioned, it could only compare to that of an early teen. All his mischievous and sleazy traits seemed to have vanished for good. There was only a boy, completely drained of his memories, acting like a spoiled youngster towards a hero who was in real not much older than him. Neither did Shifty nor Splendid realize that this brand new side of Lifty's was actually an old reflection of how he used to behave, way before he was forced to turn into a ferocious thief by his twin.

* * *

Shifty sat glumly in the balcony, his mind drifting off to his own reverie. Casually, he took a sip of the wine and coughed, his head feeling dizzy.

"That's the third one you're having."

Splendid's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The greenette spun around and glared at the hero.

"Stop scaring me."

"What? I've already kept it very low. You're daydreaming." Splendid said. Briskly, he flew over and perched on the fence, facing Shifty directly.

"Did you give him the pills?" Shifty asked. He had entrusted his brother to the hero because he was really in no mood to take care of him at the moment. The idea of Lifty forfeiting all his memories and acting like a pampered kid was pissing the older twin off. He couldn't recall anything more despicable than the current adversity.

"Yea. He's tired." Splendid said, perking up at the night's sky. "I think it's going to rain soon."

"How do you know?"

"Well, I have super instincts, don't I?" Splendid laughed.

"Rainy days. Urgh, how ghastly." Shifty growled, chucking the wine bottle away. "It's my fault again, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Sniffles said I'm the reason for his trauma." Shifty said monotonously. "I shot him…That's why. It must have hurt him so much that he didn't wish to remember anything from the past."

"Well, true. You've traumatized him. In fact, what do you expect? He's your brother and you're always acting like a beast to him." Splendid said. "He ain't your slave."

Shifty sighed. For the first time in his life, he regretted what he had done to Lifty. What he dreaded most was the undefined amount of time needed for Lifty's recovery. He had incorrigibly caused his beloved brother an incurable trauma. And Splendid's claims were proven valid when the older twin suddenly realized that he had unconsciously lost Lifty, even if Lifty hadn't left him. He was now someone he could no longer relate to, someone who appeared more like a stranger to him than a blood-related relative. He wished this was just a dream. When he woke up tomorrow morning, he might as well apologize to Lifty again, this time with much more subtlety and penitence.

"Hey…Sniffles said we could help rebuild his memories, right?" Shifty asked, looking up at Splendid hopefully.

"Sure, we can try." Splendid said. "If that's what you believe might help."

"I don't have much choice here, Splendid." Shifty claimed. "I really want my old Lifty back…"

"So that he can steal and run into trouble with you again?" Splendid added. "So that he can serve you and do whatever you say and get shot by you some time later?"

"Stop it!" Shifty yelped, his eyes brimming with tears. "I didn't mean to hurt him! I was just-"

"Trying to save your own life." Splendid answered for him. "Right? I knew you were just a selfish jerk right from the start. Even that time when you used the kryptonut against me, you were only thinking of your own benefits, counting how much money you would make after getting rid of me. A friend you were. I asked you to stop and you pressed on. And that's where our friendship officially ended."

"And you're just an amateur hero. Why do you even care anyway?!" Shifty retorted. "You should never have interfered with our stuff! If you hadn't come hunting us down, we wouldn't have tried to kill you!"

"Yea, you're right. I guess I should get going." Splendid shrugged with his deadpan eyes. "It's none of my business."

The hero stood up on the fence and faced outwards, ready to leap into the air when the thief suddenly panicked and grabbed the rim of his jacket. "No, wait, Splendid! I'm sorry…"

The bluenette looked over his shoulder plainly. Shifty pulled him back to the ground, lowering his head in depression. "I really need your…er…help. He seems…to be very fond of you now."

"I can tell, but it's creepy." Splendid commented.

"He always likes you, I think…" Shifty murmured, turning away bashfully. "Like he told me some time ago how he thought you're cute and I thought he was just teasing you."

"Is that so?" Splendid said, seemingly unconvinced. It's not that he really cared if the thief fancied him or not. But speaking of his preferences, he would rather want Lifty to act normal like before.

"Yea. It's crazy. I can never get into his fucking mind." Shifty grumbled.

"Neither can I." The hero laughed and patted on Shifty's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll help as much as I can but I really have to get back to work tomorrow. I've spent too much time here today."

"You'll come back after work, right?" Shifty asked, his eyes glittering full of anticipation. "He's going to wait for you, I suppose."

"Right." Splendid winked and hopped over the fence. In a split second, he disappeared into the clouds.


	3. Fragment

***A/N* Seriously, I have so many ongoing series to catch up with. Excuse me if I ever have to make you wait. Chapter 3 is here. I'm actually quite surprised there are a lot of htf yaoi fans out there xD Guess we can never have enough of this kind on this site. Anyway, young love is soooooooooo cute. If I'm to ship a pairing in this story, I'll most likely ship the three of them, haha. What do you think? :3 Next, I hope I can get back to Be My Villaintine's epilogue and some oneshots that have been requested by my dear readers :) Until then, enjoy.**

* * *

Lifty sat quietly in one corner, spinning a color brush with his nimble fingers. He was trying to sketch something out of boredom and ended up painting a picture of landscape. Having viewed the city from the azure sky, his mind was still indulging in the sensation of being held up in the air. A silhouette landed soundlessly behind him, careful not to make its presence visible. The soft tap of the shoes though caught the greenette's exceptionally sensitive ears. Reflexively, Lifty turned around, meeting a pair of penetrating bright orbs.

"Oh hello! Splendid. You look different today." Lifty studied the hero from head to toe avidly, rather fascinated by his spiffy attire.

"Oh shit, I forgot to get changed." Splendid grunted, suddenly realizing he was still in his office outfit.

"You look smart." Lifty smirked, his eyes glinting full of amazement. "So, pretty much like Clark Kent, you do have another secret identity as a working citizen!"

"Um…yes." The bluenette said indifferently, knowing the thief had always been a huge secret fan of the Marvel series. The twins even showed up in the comic book convention once, only to get caught by a security guard midway through their scheme to steal some graphic novels for their own sale. Splendid picked up Lifty's picture curiously and asked. "Did you draw this?"

"I did." Lifty smiled triumphantly. "I would like to fly again. It's absolutely wonderful."

"It's extraordinary." Splendid commented, hardly believing that Lifty was an outstanding painter besides being a robber and a comic freak. "Your drawing is brilliant. Why haven't I seen you paint before?"

"Have I never done so?" Lifty asked, rubbing his chin in deep thoughts.

"Not that I remember. Maybe as kids, yes." Splendid said. "You're kinda offbeat, you know."

"Am I?"

"Yes…" Splendid nodded, handing back the drawing to Lifty.

"Nah, you can keep it." Lifty said fervently, simply glad that the hero praised his work. "I drew it for you since you were the one who let me experience flying yesterday."

"That's…really kind of you." Splendid stuttered, feeling increasingly mystified by Lifty's recent odd behaviour. Nonetheless, he couldn't deny the happiness of being offered a gift from a friend.

"Okay, Lift, dinner's ready." The older twin shouted, popping out from the kitchen. "This is the best I can do."

He had spent hours figuring how to cook properly when he realized he should have simply ordered take-away. It was usually Lifty in charge of the chores but his new self was completely detached and feeble.

Splendid blinked at the mess in aversion. For an excellent chef like him, what Shifty cooked could be considered worse than trash, something that ought to be tossed into the landfill right away before it poisoned any human being on the planet.

"I think I had better cook for you guys." Splendid choked at the repulsive odor. Before Shifty could even retort, he dumped all the dishes into the dustbin, not showing the slightest concern for the thief's little pride.

"That's mean!" Shifty scolded. "You have no idea how long I've been working on that!"

"By that standard, you need less than five seconds to screw things up." Splendid laughed, giving his pitiful friend a playful punch in the chest. "You're so hopeless, Shifty."

"Shut up and make something for us to eat!" Shifty ordered. "I'm starving!"

"You owe me a lot." Splendid said, flying into the kitchen. The hero rummaged through the cupboards and fridge, finally settling with some measly ingredients and utensils.

"This place isn't for living." He muttered under his breath. Shifty, indeed, heard it. He loured at the hero with much dissatisfaction. "For someone like you, you'll only see poverty as something gross and detestable. You understand nothing at all."

"Maybe not." Splendid shrugged, pouring some boiling water into the pot. "But you really need to work this out on your own. Lifty needs you."

"Seriously, Splendid, I'm worn out." Shifty sighed, stretching his numb limbs as he recalled his grueling day. "I don't know how much longer I can take this."

"He's forgotten how to cook?"

"Yes." Shifty snorted, shaking his head in dismay. "Unfortunately."

"Does he still know how to shower and eat?"

"Damn, he knows the basics. Sniffles said he's ten, right?"

"Yes, but most of his life skills are lost." Splendid stated. "I suppose he can only do what he could when he was ten."

"This is really getting on my nerves." Shifty croaked.

"Be patient if you want him to recover." Splendid said, gingerly stirring the pasta in the pot. "Or you're going to make the same mistake again."

"I-" Shifty paused. The hero made his point. Undoubtedly, Shifty wouldn't wish to fail his brother again. He had already caused him enough trauma and despair. If he proceeded further than this, Lifty might really disappear from his life forever. Surely, Shifty wouldn't want that to happen. After all, his twin was his only family member alive, the only person in the world he could actually rely on. He couldn't imagine a life without Lifty. The solitude and bleakness would be beyond unendurable. He would be losing his other half which he had intentionally murdered for numerous times. Guilty as he was, Shifty stepped back in shame and hushed.

"Done!" Splendid smiled, quite pleased by his own deed. An appetizing smell filled the room at once, making Shifty's stomach churn with hunger.

"We can eat now." The hero informed him joyously, placing the freshly cooked creamy pasta onto the plates.

"Thanks, Splendid." Shifty said. "I mean it."

"You're welcome." Splendid grinned. He remembered how the three of them used to dine together. There was so much rambling and gossiping, so much skirmish and fun. Things seemed to have gone astray as they grew up. Out of the blue, there was no more laughter, no more sincerity and mutuality. They had become strangers and enemies, their friendship hanging loosely on a fragile thread.

"Splendid, I love your food!" Lifty extolled, his face displaying ever so much ardour. "It's delicious and much better than Shifty's…"

Shifty eyed his brother and stayed mute. The hero giggled, nudging the older twin's elbow to set him off. "This is fucking outrageous!" Shifty said. "This sissy only knows how to cook. He sucks at saving people."

"Shifty!" Splendid yapped, looking daggers at the thief as his weakness was being unraveled mercilessly.

"But still, you're a hero. I adore you!" Lifty said, his speech completely flabbergasting the other two boys.

Tongue-tied, Splendid and Shifty exchanged a weird glance.

"Lift, mind your brainless words." Shift snarled, disgruntled. "This guy is our enemy."

"Why?"

"Because you two are thieves." Splendid replied. "You break laws. You're criminals. You don't know how many times you've been jailed."

"I am a thief?!" Lifty's mouth gaped open, his astonishment suggesting his pure ignorance of his own identity. He shook his head in denial. "It can't be. I don't remember stealing and getting jailed. Stealing is wrong, brother. We'll get caught and thrown into prison."

Shaken, the older twin gazed at Lifty with a frown. The hero cocked his brows contemplatively, seeming to grasp some meanings from Lifty's utterance. "So, I guess you were the one who maneuvered him and proposed stealing for life, huh?"

Shifty peeked at Splendid briefly and concentrated back on his meal, neglecting his interrogation.

"I should have known it." The hero fumbled. "Still, he's stuck up for you after all these years."

Splendid's words struck Shifty hard with a sense of guilt, reminding him the brutal fact that he was the one who coaxed his brother into becoming a thief, despite Lifty's disapproval and rejection in the beginning. The younger twin only tagged along with his brother in fear that he would be abandoned if he disobeyed him. It was simply loyalty and coercion subsisting between them. At the end of the day, Shifty still chose to ditch Lifty, causing him far greater pain than he deserved. How nasty of him to have accused Lifty of contributing less in their heist. The two brothers were greedy as well but Lifty never really liked the idea of stealing. Even though he had explained a hundred times to Shifty about the risks and perils, the older twin had never caught the smallest hint. He wouldn't listen or budge anyway.

And now, he paid the price…

"I'm full." Lifty announced with contentment. "Splendid, you're a really talented cook."

"Thanks." Splendid smiled.

"Maybe you can teach me how to cook." Lifty snickered slyly. "So that I can cook better than Shifty!"

"That's it!" Shifty snapped his fingers as though he had gained some insight. He dragged Splendid out of his seat and whispered to him in the hallway. "You were the one who taught him how to cook when we were younger! So, maybe if you teach him all over again, he'll remember something from the past?"

"Ah…alright, if that's what you think." Splendid said leisurely. He could volunteer to tutor Lifty if time allowed it.

"And I'm thinking about bringing him to some places. Can you come along?"

"No promises yet. I'll need to re-schedule some of my business appointments." Splendid said with uncertainty. "And I'll have to sneak out for a couple of hours."

"That'll do. Anything for my brother." Shifty said. "I'm counting on you."

"Why?" Splendid asked, nonplussed that the thief had suddenly become so keen and relentless.

"Because he likes you, dumbass." Shifty growled, smacking Splendid upside the head.

* * *

Splendid yawned as they strolled down the street. The day was bright but the hero's mind was completely immersed in his own reveries. He had barely slept because Shifty had been grumbling all night. The bluenette had a tendency to leave but the thief demanded an audience which somewhat surprised Splendid as to why he had to be Shifty's problem listener.

"My hero's role list doesn't include counselling." Splendid pinpointed, glaring at the culprit of his inadequate sleep.

"I don't care. I need someone there to curse at." Shifty tittered, draping his arm on Splendid's shoulder. The hero shook it off in no time and sulked. He knew he should probably get back to work but the fatigue was torturing him. He wondered if he should fly around the town to refresh his senses but again, Lifty would keep asking to fly with him.

"Your brother is getting really hard to handle." Splendid mumbled. Shifty had to nod in agreement for Lifty had become unusually troublesome and demanding. To certain extent, both Splendid and Shifty even suspected if the younger twin was in fact feigning his memory loss. Something convinced them that Lifty was doing this on purpose. Yet, as long as there was no concrete evidence to prove so, they had to stick to Sniffles' diagnosis.

"So, where are we going?" Lifty asked.

"Oh, somewhere we always go." Shifty simpered, getting thrilled at once. "Maybe that'll help you remember something."

They stopped in front of a pub. Without a word, Shifty flung open the door and slunk in. The other two boys followed reluctantly.

"This place is grisly." Splendid said, covering his ears as the deafening music ruptured his ear drums. The hero wasn't particularly attracted to nights' club, let alone the fact that this place was owned by Disco Bear, the town's notorious, perverted pedophile.

"I can't believe you often come here!" Splendid shouted, his voice quelled by the disco music.

"What?" Shifty shouted back. "It's magnificent! Look at them! Can you remember something, Lift? We used to come here and pick some girls at night!" The older twin beckoned to his mate, dragging him towards a stage where flings of striptease dancers were showcasing their skillful performances.

"I…don't remember anything." Lifty moped. "And I hate this place. They're treating women like animals or something. It's totally degrading and cheap."

The young thief's words rendered the other two boys wonder-struck. Shifty looked at his brother as though he had gone berserk, certainly not predicting such an outcome. Splendid, however, actually supported his argument.

"Well said." Splendid said. "I mean, get some real girls if you're a real man, Shifty. It's really pathetic of you to hook up with some random striptease whores!"

"Ahhh! We're getting the fuck out of here. RIGHT NOW!" The older twin screeched, plucking his companions out of the pub.

"Damn, what's wrong with you guys?" Shifty hollered as they got back onto the road. "Lift, you used to come here with me! In fact, we came here on Tuesday! That's like…well, a week ago! You even had a one-night stand with a blonde! Don't you remember that?"

"I can't believe you guys actually waste money on some sluts." Splendid shook his head. "It's disgusting."

"Shut up, goody-goody." Shifty barked, glowering at the hero scornfully. "We're not like you, always peeking at the ladies secretly! You have no right to talk morals with me!"

"I would never have a one-night stand with a blonde." Lifty said.

"What do you mean I peek at the ladies secretly?!" Splendid rebutted. "That's not me! That's Disco Bear!"

"Ah, give me a break! You two are ripping me apart!" Shifty squealed frantically, holding his head in his hands. "Lift! You like pubs! YOU LOVE CLUBBING. You've got to remember it."

"No." Lifty declined almost instantly. "I hate pubs. They're low and dirty."

"It's not like you at all!" Shifty said, tensing up at the pointless squabble.

"Whatever. I'm not going to remember something I hate." Lifty shrugged it off and jammed his hands into his pockets, wandering off from the crowd

"Where do you think you're going?" Shifty bawled, hopping mad. He chased after his difficult brother with an emerging headache.

"I don't know." Lifty answered. "Somewhere far from here."

"Ugh, Splendid, tell me this isn't real!" Shifty sighed.

"Well, I'm actually thinking." Splendid mused. "It seems that most of the things Lifty used to do aren't really what he likes. They are more of what you like, haha!"

"So you're saying that I'm responsible for his misdeeds?!" It wasn't really something worth boasting about but Shifty had to admit he was usually the one manipulating Lifty. Still, he could never have forced Lifty into anything unless he agreed so himself. It's not like Shifty possessed the entire power to control Lifty either. There were times when his younger brother defied and challenged him instead.

"No, that's not what I mean." Splendid said, tired of elaboration. He knew Shifty wouldn't have the brain to understand something complicated. "I'm not here to judge you, not that I have the privilege to do so. But you're always making people do according to your wants and that's not right. I could have left last night. I had no obligation to listen to all your bullshit. In pretty much the same way, Lifty doesn't necessarily have to follow you either. You're always…treating him like a slave."

"Shut up. It's not even your matter. I didn't beg you to stay, did I?" Shifty growled. "Don't you dare tell me what to do because I won't-"

"Listen, right?" Splendid smiled, proud that he pierced the thief's mindless thoughts. "That's okay. I'm just saying what I think and what I want you to think about. It's not exactly like you have to change your attitudes or anything. He's your brother, not mine."

The hero shrugged and sauntered down the road, leaving the older twin in obfuscation.

"Lifty?" The bluenette halted as he caught Lifty standing motionless at the river bank. His emerald eyes glimmered eerily, his feet close to the edge of the pavement. One step forward and Splendid was sure Lifty would fall into the water.

"Hey, stop there, don't go any further." Splendid warned, dragging Lifty back to the safe ground. "What? Do you want to swim?"

"No." Lifty shook his head timidly and smiled. "It's so…peaceful and beautiful. And the water…it's blue like your eyes. So blue…"

"Huh?" Splendid frowned, dumbfounded. He opened his mouth but before any words could come out, a shrill squeal diverted his attention.

SPLASH!

A kid toppled over the bank and fell into the water. A horrid scream disrupted the tranquility of the park. The fallen boy shrieked and struggled, treading water helplessly.

"Help! Please, somebody help! Someone's fallen into the river!" A lady yelled as more people started to gather around the bank to inquire the matter.

Within a second, a beam of blue light swished across the air and swiftly dived into the water. Wrapping his arms tightly around the young kid, Splendid flew out of the river and landed back on the ground, carefully putting the shivering boy down.

"Are you alright?" He asked, kneeling down before the small kid to examine if he had got any injuries.

The boy merely nodded and coughed up some water. A woman squeezed through the crowd and exclaimed. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" In a trice, she dashed towards his son and hugged him, tears welling up in her puffy eyes.

"Thank you so much, Splendid!" The woman said with more gratitude than ever.

"It's okay, ma'am. Do make sure you take better care of him next time." Splendid said, shaking droplets of water off his drenched clothes. Slowly, he trudged back towards Lifty, who was staring at him with an awfully pale face.

"Lifty? Are you…okay?" Splendid grasped his shoulders and shook him, growing increasingly disconcerted by Lifty's apparently baffled expression. "Lifty!"

Some tears escaped the young thief's eyes. He sniffled and cried, choking on his own saliva and tears. His head throbbed with unbearable pain and his heart was burning with flame as if someone had set it on fire. He collapsed to the ground and started convulsing. He coughed and squirmed, hissed and sniveled.

"Lifty!" Splendid crouched and held him in his arms, trying his best to soothe him. He had no clue what was occurring to the thief. His entire body was quivering and his face went as white as a sheet.

"Damn! What's going on, Splendid?" A gruff voice bawled. Shifty, finally catching up with the two boys, trotted towards them and bent down, gazing anxiously at his weeping brother.

"I…I don't know. I went off to save a kid who fell into the river. I came back and he started crying." Splendid stuttered. He felt Lifty's body drop limply in his grip. The younger thief had ceased whining and sat back up. He wiped off his tears and puffed.

"Lift! Are you okay? Please, say something." Shifty prodded his brother repeatedly, trying to elicit a response from him.

"I'm…okay…" Lifty gulped. "I just…remember something…It hurt when the image popped up in my head. I felt kinda dizzy…"

"Did you say you remember something?" Shifty gasped, somewhat elated.

"Yes…" Lifty glanced back at Splendid, his limpid eyes gleaming with sheer affections. The hero cringed a little and blushed. The thief's eccentric gaze was basically chilling his blood.

"I fell into the water once." Lifty said. "We were playing and Shifty kicked me into the river. I couldn't swim and you saved me. The water…it was so blue and deep. It's just the same as your eyes."

"Ah! You're talking about what happened when we were kids!" Shifty taunted. "We were like…what? eight or something?"

"I think we were ten at that time." Splendid corrected. "So…Lifty, you remember the past now?"

"Only that incident…" Lifty murmured, still indulging in his own thoughts. There was a time he adored Splendid's eyes more than anything else on earth. He could never forget how his mischievous brother shoved him into the water despite realizing he couldn't swim. Their best friend though didn't hesitate to dive into the river to save him. Lifty was drowning, close to predicting his death. He was sinking uncontrollably as the gravity tied him to a bottomless end. He remembered how his vision went blurred, completely overwhelmed by the suffocating blueness of the water. And then…something sparkled...It sparkled so very glamorously that it almost resembled a heavenly existence. Those sapphire orbs glowed in the water, flickering like two diamonds. It was natural for Lifty to make such an analogy because he was a thief and he loved diamonds. Still, those eyes impressed him. A second later, his hands were clutched by Splendid, his body embraced by his warm, strong arms. He was pulled back up to the surface. Even though he had only sunk in the river for barely two minutes, the light still blinded him when he returned to the ground. But most of all, those wondrously striking eyes of his savior haunted him. It was that blueness which Lifty had been attracted to like a magnet when they first encountered each other as children. It was that blueness which he had fallen in love with long, long time ago. And it was that blueness which had saved him a dozen times and which sadly he had betrayed countless times after he turned into a thief and stood against the hero with his twin.

"Lifty?" Splendid's hiss snapped Lifty back to reality. Once more, he locked eyes with him. Splendid was blinking at him worriedly. He, himself, was soaking wet but he couldn't care less. Even bearing the possibility that he might catch a cold later, he still wanted to ensure that Lifty was alright before he scooted back to his home to bath and get changed.

"Thank you…Splendid." Lifty smiled. It was perhaps the biggest smile the other two boys had ever seen on Lifty.

"Lift, what're you talking about? Are you out of your mind?" Shifty dropped his jaws, hardly conceiving his brother's awkward behaviour.

"Splendid saved me from drowning!" Lifty said.

"But that was like…ten years ago! Damn it, so you only remember that event? Could you remember anything else?"

"I…don't remember any other things."

"Ugh, how disappointing." Shifty grumbled.

"Sorry." Lifty sighed.

"Hey, bud, it's okay. I think we'll just have to take it bit by bit." Splendid said optimistically. "I'm sure you'll remember other things pretty soon. And now, if you both excuse me, this damn wet clothes are really getting on my nerves. I gotta get changed."

"Please do, you look like a stupid blue duck that's just gotten out of the pond. Haha." Shifty sneered.

"S-Shut up." More water dripped down from Splendid's hair as he stood up abruptly. "I hate you."

"See ya later, ducky-face." Shifty sniggered.

Lifty watched Splendid bounce into the air and disappear into the clouds. His trade-mark cobalt beam left the twins speechless and fascinated.

"He's…" Lifty stammered. "So beautiful."

"What?" Shifty scowled at his twin, rather irritated by his shameless comment.

"Don't you think so, brother?" Lifty grinned cheerily at his brother.

"Maybe." Shifty said, completely caught off guards by Lifty's innocent sunshine smile.


	4. Vengeance

***A/N* Sorry, I've probably neglected this tale for far too long. I don't know from where to pick up the broken pieces -.- Um...so far, I've had in mind a small argument between Splendid and Shifty. In the next chapter, I hope to insert some newly-found memories of Lifty and to explain how the three got acquainted in the first place. By the way, I want to ask for some decent opinion. Do you want these three to stay in a simple affectionate relationship like this or do you prefer them falling in deeper love with each other in the end? The current situation is more like shounen-ai than yaoi xD. Anyway, enjoy & review :D**

* * *

A blare of earsplitting sirens startled the snoozing greenette, inadvertently causing him to roll out of bed. Shaking his slightly throbbing head, Lifty grunted and sat up on the floor, his eyes tracing around the forsaken room. Idly, he staggered towards the window and peeked out just as a honking ambulance swished by on the main road. Rays of sunlight hovered above him, blinding his swollen eyes. Stretching his exhausted limbs, the greenette strutted out of his room in hopes to stumble upon his dear twin.

"Brother?" He called out tremulously, his mind still swaying in his own fantasies. The house greeted him with nothing but sheer silence. The entire place reeked of alcohol and cigarettes, convincing the greenette once more that his brother must have reveled in another drunken night. The last thing Lifty remembered was Shifty singing karaoke at home, gorging himself on some strawberry cream cakes baked by the hero. Some time later, Splendid offered to lull the younger twin to sleep and almost in a flash, Lifty dozed off without any complaint.

"Brother?" The greenette muttered again, growing increasingly concerned about Shifty's absence. The older twin was always there in the morning to prepare breakfast ever since Lifty had lost his memory. "Splendid?"

Still, there was no answer. The greenette rummaged in the house only to find that both his companions were gone.

"Did they…squabble again?" Lifty wondered, accidentally tripping over a chair with a thud. "Brother! Splendid!" He raised his voice, desperately searching for the two aimed targets. And yet, they never appeared. Something caught his puffy eyes though. A plate of fruit toasts and scrambled eggs was placed on the table as if it had been there welcoming the greenette all along. Puzzled, the younger twin strode towards the food and found a note attached underneath the plate.

_Got something to do. Will be home by six._

_-Shift_

_Hey, I cooked these for ya :3 Don't worry, Shifty has nothing to do with them so they ain't poisonous. See ya later._

_-Splendid :P_

"Why…would they leave without me?" Lifty sighed with a beam of disappointment. Staying at home wasn't at all a bad idea but he had recently grown too accustomed to relying on the other two boys. When he was left alone, the solitude plaguing the young tattered thief was simply unendurable. Gobbling down the meal hungrily, Lifty snatched a can of ginger beer from the fridge and guzzled it down in one go. After fueling himself with enough energy for the day, he scampered around and decided to do some chores for his brother, starting by dumping all the beer bottles into the dustbin.

Sweeping the floor was fairly accomplishable but the boy had forgotten how to do the laundry or to even operate the washing machine. When he reckoned he had done everything he could, Lifty crawled back onto the couch and mediated. The television was on but none of the channels was appealing enough, not even the cartoon one. He waited patiently for someone to drop by his flat or to give him a heart-warming call. Be it Shifty or Splendid, he would be glad if someone was there to accompany him. Nevertheless, the other two males seemed rather occupied by their own duty and work. Lifty could never comprehend what his brother was up to all this time. He knew the hero was working as a journalist in a local newspaper but his twin never honestly informed him what sort of mysterious mission he was on every day. Sometimes, he returned home with things he called 'loot'. Lifty had no idea then, since he could hardly remember having once been a criminal. But the older twin was always bluffing and flaunting his tricks in front of Lifty, to a point that the younger boy was simply amazed whenever his brother enchanted him with his beloved stolen valuables. The other day, Shifty even got him a full set of new colour pens knowing he had taken a liking towards painting but Splendid confiscated it soon afterwards claiming it was gained by illegitimate means.

"But in order to get those pretty things for me, Shifty always has to abandon me at home." Lifty mused, speaking to no one in particular. The boy had grown so frustrated that he could no longer bear the boredom. He wanted to see Shifty and Splendid even before they came home to present him their fruitful day. Crudely dressing himself in a white shirt and a pair of skinny black jeans, Lifty bolted out of the house despite being adjured not to go out. He never understood why the other two boys forbid him to hang around the town. At the moment though, the urge of meeting either of them was afflicting him so much that he was almost on the verge of tears. The thought of being ditched desolated him. Considering his vulnerable mental state, the boy always broke down when he failed to withstand the lonesomeness, even though he was probably aware of how irritating he was being, to pester the other two boys like a spoiled vermin.

"Brother…" The greenette sobbed, lingering restlessly on the street. He squeezed through the crowd, followed the thong and ventured nearly everywhere seeking for his fellows. But the result remained the same. They were nowhere to be found.

"Brother…Splendid…where are you?" The younger twin wept, flumping down on a wooden bench in the park. His despondent expression soon attracted someone's attention. A blond happened to be leading his gang around the same territory. As soon as he spotted the greenette, he beckoned to his buddies. "Psst! Come here, guys!"

"What's it, Cuddles?" A pink-haired girl named Giggles approached the blond fervently, expecting to see another demonstration of his pranks.

"Look, isn't that Lifty?" Toothy, another boy with sleek purple hair and two distinctive buck teeth mumbled, gazing curiously at the dejected thief.

"You're right." Sniffles, a bespectacled boy with blue hair butted in, tagging along with his friend, Nutty, who was well-known for being a hyperactive sugar addict with fluorescent green hair and a lazy eye. "That insolent lowlife."

"What's he doing here?" Nutty asked, latching his mouth onto his popsicle.

"Hey, don't you think something's wrong with him? He isn't wearing his shades today and he looks kinda downcast there." Cuddles giggled in a mocking tone, pointing to the oblivious young thief.

"Yea, and that impertinent, perverted brother of his isn't here either." Giggles said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "What do you think might have happened? I haven't seen this young one lately. Did he fall out with Shifty or something?"

"Should we go and inquire?" Toothy suggested with a crooked grin. "He seems to be on his own."

"No need." Sniffles smirked. "I know what happened. He's lost all his memory. His brother brought him to the hospital two weeks ago. Apparently, the older one has shot him in the head and traumatized him."

"Really?" Toothy chuckled. "Karma's a bitch, I see. But still, he and his brother stole my bike some time ago and they even burgled my house!"

"Damn, this pesky thief stole my skateboard and broke one of my windows last month!" The blond croaked furiously, looking daggers at his friend.

"Dude, you're not the only victim here!" Sniffles said, gritting his teeth peevishly. "He and his cheeky brother ransacked my laboratory base and stole my ultimate hair-growth formula, selling it to that damn pervert Disco Bear! They also took two of my rocket models, three new inventions and six pharmaceutical potions! Darn, it took me approximately a whole month to retrieve everything! And last time in the hospital, Shifty insulted me just because there's no cure to his brother's condition! Geez, he's the one causing all this shit and he's blaming others!"

"That's right!" Nutty piped up, wielding his popsicle dolefully. "They…swindled me twice…They lured me with sweets and turned me into a sugar manic…They deceived me and traded all my property…I was left penniless for almost half a year…"

"Those guys have robbed my lemonade stand three times. And they have stolen my favourite jewellery. You can't imagine how much hassle I got into trying to get it back." The girl wailed, wiping the tears with her laced sleeve. "It's a pendent I got from my granny…"

"Gosh, I can't believe they did this to you." The blond shook his head in dismay, gently patting the girl's back to comfort her.

"We've got to do something to stop this from aggravating!" Sniffles voiced, adjusting his glasses sternly. "We need to teach this damn lowlife a lesson."

"Yea, to show him the dire consequences of messing with us all!" Toothy echoed, raising his arm to show his agreement.

"Irreverent blockhead. We're going to kick his ass. Let's do it!" Cuddles announced, clomping towards the thief as the leader.

"Slug him! Wallop his sissy face!" The gang began to hum, stomping irately towards the person they detested.

"Gouge his eyes out so he can't see!"

"Break his legs so he can't flee!"

"Sprain his arms so he can't steal!"

"Teach him a lesson of justice and deeds!"

The greenette was sitting with both hands on his lap when he heard footsteps shuffling in his direction. Perking up at once and half anticipating his brother, Lifty froze when he saw a pack of strangers marching towards him, all glaring at him as though he was an outcast. The young thief started to panic when the crowd surrounded him, standing above him with baleful stares and provocative speech.

"Damn you, did your brother abandon you again?" The blond sneered, bending over to yank the greenette by his hair.

"Finally, we caught you alone here." Toothy chuckled, hands on his hips. "You can't run this time, faggot. We're here to get our revenge on you."

"You fucking good-for-nothing pest, why don't you go and kill yourself?" Giggles blustered harshly. "Nobody likes you and your brother."

"Yea, you guys are so loathsome. You make me sick." Sniffles lashed out, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "You don't remember anything, eh? Stop stealing stuff. Go sell yourself instead. With that face of yours, maybe you can even work as a host. Let someone fuck you, man. Stop screwing our lives!"

"What…are you talking about…" Lifty widened his eyes and stammered, blanching fretfully at Cuddles' attack.

"Woah, he's crying!" Nutty exclaimed, surprising everyone on the spot. They all stared at the whimpering thief, rendered awestruck.

"Ah, don't get tricked by his acting! This asshole is a devil in disguise!" Toothy said, clutching Lifty's elbow and successfully hauling him up.

"Get up, dweeb, sneaky you are, why don't you deal with us face-to-face? Steal our cash if you can defeat us! Don't mug people with your dirty lies! Come and fight with us. Let us beat the shit out of you!" The blond barked, pulling the thief's hair so hard that he yapped in pain.

"Please…stop it…" Lifty implored, struggling to break free from the grip. Still having no clue what the ruckus was about, he burst into tears and squirmed, further inciting his bullies to bawl at him. "What the fuck is this? Pretending to be docile, eh? Let us turn those fake tears into real!" The blond hollered. Everyone cornered the greenette and started seizing a part of his body. The poor thief, incapable of registering their speech, could only screech and writhe feebly as the gang walloped and tossed him around. Each clasping one of Lifty's arms, Cuddles and Toothy pinned the thief down. The scientist proceeded to straddle the greenette and smack him in the face.

"Nutty, what're you waiting for! Go search for his gun! Let's shoot him!" Sniffles said. The candy lover complied instantly, flipping over all the thief's pockets to discover nothing but a few coins. "He ain't bringing his gun with him. No other weapon either."

"Good gracious. You came out alone, eh? That's like indirectly giving us a golden opportunity to screw you." Sniffles laughed, punching the greenette in the guts. Lifty groaned, his sight completely obscured by his tears as he continued to plead with ado.

"Beseeching us for mercy, huh? Sorry, dude. Not this time." Toothy snickered, prodding the thief's arm violently.

"Hey, I've got a wonderful idea!" Giggles suddenly proclaimed, her sinister laugh capturing all the boys' attention.

"Cool. Tell us about it!" The blond smiled slyly, awaiting the intriguing lark.

* * *

Lifty opened his eyes and regained his composure. Slouching against the wall, he felt a sudden twinge around his wrists. Gasping in shock, he wiggled his hands trying to break free. A stream of chillness washed over his nerves as he found himself naked, his arms cuffed behind his back. He was sitting on the road, being displayed like a commodity in the public. His chest was smeared by red lipsticks. The boy goggled at the splotch and gulped.

"**I'm a thief.**" A bystander chuckled, making disgusted grimace as he read the writing on the greenette's chest.

"Geez, so he's a thief?" Lifty heard someone whisper. People began to gather around to see the commotion, each carrying a bemused expression as they spotted the nude boy. There was nothing more degrading than having his clothes stripped off and his face revealed in the public just to get mocked by strangers. Lifty felt tears forming in his eyes again. Never had he predicted such a devastating outcome when he decided to leave home. Why was he being maltreated this way? He couldn't fathom the cause nor was he told about it. He only wanted to see his brother and Splendid.

"Please…untie me…" He sniveled, shooting the blond a pitiful glance.

"Damn, he looks so dreary." Toothy laughed, elbowing his friend.

"You deserve this! You filthy thief! No place suits you better than the street, haha!" Sniffles cackled, trampling the thief's thigh causing him to whine.

"I…don't get it…why are you all attacking me…what did I do?" Lifty tilted his head weakly. A tomato was smashed against his face out of nowhere, splashing all the contents across his cheeks.

"Look at him. So fucking pathetic!" Cuddles snickered, this time spraying a bottle of water all over the thief's body.

"Ah…s-stop it…" The greenette shook off the liquid and cried, kicking the ground with his legs.

"Hey, I've got another idea." Toothy chortled, pulling out his cell phone. "Press his legs down. Let's take a photo of him like this and upload it to some gay porn site! What do you say?"

"Marvelous!" The blond corroborated his best friend and nodded. Together, they forced the thief down on the ground, laying him flatly to let the buck-toothed boy tape him.

"This is so damn fun. Let's turn him on." Toothy said.

"That's way too much." Sniffles pinpointed. "I'm not going to do that."

"I'm not touching him there either." The blond said playfully. "His brother is always sleeping with hookers. He might have AIDS."

The gang laughed at their own sickening joke, only to get interfered by a flash of glowing blue light. With one slap, the hero squashed the cell phone into pieces and flung the shards onto the floor. Another clonk cut off the youngsters' laughter promptly as a man with fedora punched the blond in the chest.

"What the…" Toothy cussed, glaring at Splendid angrily.

"It's enough." The hero smiled vaguely. "It doesn't make you a better person picking on someone like that."

"But Splendid! He deserves it!" Giggles protested, clinging to the bluenette with a pout.

"Yea, he…" Cuddles was about to say something when Shifty shoved him against the wall and raised his fist.

"Stop." Splendid bellowed, catching the thief's fist just in time.

"Let me go!" Shifty roared fiendishly. "Let me kill this thug!"

"Splendid…" Giggles frowned, gawking at the hero dubiously. Pulling Shifty away from Cuddles, Splendid warned the gang solemnly. "Go. All of you. Don't do this again. It's wrong. Even if he's done something bad to you in the past, it doesn't justify the way you're mistreating him right now. And not to mention he's lost all his previous memories in an accident."

"He's still a criminal." Sniffles countered.

"So? Aren't you guys overdoing a little? Now leave, if you please!" Splendid said, striving to hold Shifty back as the thief shrieked deliriously at his enemies.

"Fine. Let's go!" Cuddles shouted and scooted away, followed closely behind by the others. Until everyone disappeared from his sight, the hero released Shifty and sighed.

"Why didn't you let me beat them up? Why?" Shifty wailed, grabbing Splendid's shoulders in angst. "And you call yourself our friend, eh? You're on their side! Damn it!"

"If I'm on their side, I wouldn't have helped you back then!" Splendid retorted, tearing up all at once. "It's hard, you know. What do you expect me to do? Kill them?"

"Yes! They did this to my brother! You ought to avenge us!" The thief argued, thrusting the hero against the wall.

"I don't recall such a responsibility of standing up for you two!" The bluenette blubbered, pushing Shifty away. "The way Giggles looked at me…They're already thinking that I'm your associate!"

"Well, aren't you? Aren't you? You're supposed to be on our side!" Shifty howled, creasing the hero's shirt wrathfully.

"I already was!" Splendid argued.

"No, you weren't! You let them escape!"

"Please…stop…it…" Lifty sobbed, looking up at the other two boys in anguish. "Don't argue over me…It's okay to let them go…I'm sorry…"

"Gosh, why are you apologizing?" Shifty kneeled down and cuddled his wounded twin.

"Hold still, Lifty." The hero said, slicing the cuff into two with his laser eyes. He was ready to pick up the younger thief when Shifty smacked his hand off.

"Don't touch him. I'll take him home by myself." The greenette growled, hoisting his brother in his arms.

"Fine! I don't care about you anymore! Do whatever you like!" The hero snorted, bouncing off the ground and vanishing in a trice.

The older thief stood still embracing his twin as streams of sparkling tears dribbled down his mournful face.

* * *

"Brother, I'm so glad you came." Lifty smiled, wrapping his arms around the other greenette's neck.

"I told you not to leave the house, didn't I?" Shifty grunted, carefully putting his brother into the bathtub filled with warm water.

"Yes, but I wanted to see you and Splendid." The younger twin confessed, twiddling his fingers sheepishly. "I thought I might bump into you two if I went out…"

"Don't do that again." Shifty said, squeezing some shower gel onto the other boy's body. "Does it hurt?"

"Not really…" Lifty murmured, lowering his head as his twin started scouring his back. "Those guys…they seem to despise me so much…Bro, did we do something bad to them?"

"Lift, don't mind what they say, okay?" Shifty said, rinsing the other greenette's chest intently.

"But they…"

"Listen, Lift, we are different than others…" The older twin tried to explain. "We don't live like them…People have always hated us since we were born, so you either fight back and protect yourself or you let them screw you."

"But…back then…Splendid seemed scared of people finding out that he helped us…" Lifty said with tears rolling down his face. "Does he hate us like everyone else does? Why did you fall out with him?"

"He…er…He's different than others also." Shifty sighed, ruffling his twin's hair. "It'll be alright. We always quarrel from time to time. You just don't remember it."

"R-Really?"

"Yup. Let me wash your hair and get you into bed first." Shifty grinned, standing up to grip the shampoo from the shelf.

After cleaning his brother and bandaging his wounds, Shifty tucked him into bed with a reassuring smile.

"Bro, will…Splendid come again?" Lifty asked, his eyes glistening with hope.

"I don't know. That brat is probably throwing a tantrum right now." Shifty said, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on his twin's head.

"You shouldn't have yelled at him…He helped break the phone…" Lifty said.

"Don't worry about it. Go to sleep, Lift. Everything will be okay tomorrow." The older thief urged optimistically, though he couldn't deny the guilt he felt after pointlessly scolding the hero. It upset him even more to know that part of the reason for his brother's suffering was his own misdeed. Lifty was paying the price of the sins he had committed. And yet, he was unable to rescue him right away. He had let others disgrace and manhandle his brother. Beyond that, he had even accused Splendid of showing inadequate concern when all this time, the hero was the first person to have found Lifty after he went missing.

Sagging down on his own bed, Shifty buried himself in rivers of tears, basking in what he might as well call remorse and self-accusation. There was so much going on in his mind that he had long lost track of his critical thoughts. All his life, he had been devoting himself to extorting the greatest treasures on earth. But when he saw someone laying their hands on his twin, he was casted into an unspeakable feeling of woe as if some portion of him was being battered and treaded on. He had always been selfish enough to sacrifice his brother but he could never handle the penitence afterwards. All the broken lies he had been telling his brother whirled in his head. The promise that he would make his atonement for his previous faults was never fulfilled. To make things worse, he had unconsciously persecuted the hero and sent him away knowing well that he was basically the sole person who would ever show them compassion. Everything was so messed up that the greenette wished for once he could evade the ordeal and die permanently. A contemptible lowlife he would be. There was nothing he could do to free his brother and himself from this wretched life they were caged in.

Elsewhere in the town, pacing back and forth in his room was this hero caught in misery. Splendid had flown home right after his skirmish with the older twin. So much he wanted to defend himself but he wasn't given any chance. He began to regret his decision of letting Cuddles' gang go. It was as though he was deliberately shirking his responsibility in the entire issue. Shifty was right though. The bluenette had done little to nothing to assist the twins. If he had considered himself as their friend, he ought to take vengeance for them. But again, he was a hero. He wasn't supposed to exact retribution for people due to personal sentiments. He would be blamed for being the thief's partner in crime then. And he could never get over the dilemma of whether to take a side or not.

Sometimes, Splendid would wonder if he was the culprit of their dilapidated friendship. Perhaps it was all his fault after all. He could have done more for the two brothers. He could have treated them better in one way or another.

Landing on Lifty's balcony, the hero hesitated for a brief second before creeping into the younger twin's room. The greenette was lying asleep in bed, his hands covered in more band aids than ever.

"Splendid?"

The hero almost jumped in fright when Lifty suddenly opened his eyes. Smiling jubilantly, the greenette held out his bruised hand and sat up. "Splendid, I'm happy that you pay me a visit. But isn't it a bit late?"

"Um…" The hero stuttered uneasily, not knowing how to respond properly. He hadn't expected Lifty to wake up so readily, thinking he hadn't even made a single sound reaching his room.

"I could just feel your presence." Lifty cooed. "I thought you're still mad at my brother and wouldn't come again."

"I'm still mad to be honest but I just want to check on you. Are you feeling better now?" Splendid said. "I'm sorry to have woken you."

"It's okay. I'm feeling much better now." The greenette grinned. "Can you stay here with me?"

"Sure, but why?"

"I've wanted to see you and Shifty all day. That's why I went out to look for you guys." Lifty admitted. "But…I guess I could never do things right..."

"Geez, you're so dumb." The hero taunted, slipping into the bed briskly. "You could have just waited until we came back."

"Yea…I know…but I don't like this feeling called loneliness." The greenette said forthrightly, lying down again. "I never like it."

"I see." Splendid nodded, smiling a bit. "Then, from now on, we won't leave you alone again. We'll try to spend as much time with you as possible."

"Splendid, I…" The greenette blushed and trailed off.

"Yea?"

"Nothing." Lifty purred and swallowed his words, snuggling up against the hero calmly.

"Good night, Lifty."

"Good night."

* * *

***A/N* Yea, Lifty is close to professing his affection to Splendid but he holds it back. They're sleeping together anyway, haha.**


	5. Innocence

***A/N* Eek, thanks soooooooo much for all the reviews. I'm just glad that you're still following the story. Ayyy, how should I put this. I feel that this tale is going to get more stupid xD Here's a flashback on what has happened between them in the past, how they turned from friends to enemies. This chapter probably makes Lifty look like a little kid, but it's cuter this way. And yea, I'm not going to spill anything right now. Read until the very end and find out the last exciting scene :3 And no, Shifty isn't forgotten. He will appear as the main lead in the next chapter. No one is gonna be left out in this love triangle. I'll take your advice and make sure they fall in love altogether! Haha. After all, that's my initial purpose of introducing the twins. Hopefully, it'll be a threesome.**

* * *

The bluenette's dream was disrupted by a soft whimper. Sitting up giddily, Splendid glimpsed the squalling boy next to him. The greenette, fully awake, was shuddering and sobbing quietly on the bedside, looking as though he had just woken up from a series of nightmares.

"Lifty?" The hero buzzed, gently nudging the melancholy male. He had a haunch that something serious was bothering the younger thief but he had no idea what it was. Still, he pulled him closer and cuddled him like he was pacifying a child. The greenette trembled slightly at the appeasing touch, nestling his head confidently against the other boy's chest.

"I had a dream." Lifty confessed, blinking woozily at the hero. Only then did Splendid realize how swollen those emerald eyes were. The forlorn expression plastered on the greenette's face alone was sufficient to chill the hero's blood. He wondered what had been scaring Lifty stiff and ruining his sleep. "I just…happened to remember something…"

The greenette didn't blurt out the entire story, partly because he had forgotten some remnants. The important pieces though were glued back together as one of the past events got clearly illustrated inside his head like a projected image. The argument between his brother and Splendid somehow evoked a certain fragment of memories buried deeply inside his muddled mind. It's not like they had never wrangled over some trivial things before. But there was one particular episode that the twins could never eliminate in their whole life. It was an exact reminder of how their bond had been ruptured, their friendship wrecked simply because of their idiocy. Such a retrospect ignited so much sorrow and regret in Lifty that he had to cry, despite knowing his noise would probably wake the bluenette.

"What's…wrong?" Splendid asked, growing more conscious of the other boy's peculiar behaviour. Something was definitely bugging the greenette. His mirthless smile was hard as steel, cold as ice.

"Splendid, do you remember when we were small, you used to visit us at the orphanage and bring us things?" Lifty asked, immediately inciting the hero to reminisce about their past. Sure enough, Splendid couldn't have forgotten about it. They were all so young then, their life completely free of burden and onus. Before he encountered the twins, the hero basically lived with a shameful secret that he had actually no friends. For some reason, no one dared to get close to him, probably dreading his supernatural powers. The arrogant boy wasn't really troubled by the isolation. After all, he always dwelled in his own formulated realm. He could have gotten over the loneliness and pretended it was no big deal. Still, his disguise failed to escape the eyes of two people and that's when he officially came across the twins. He remembered meeting them somewhere near the playground. Since most of the time, all the kids got evacuated even before the bluenette could even enter their little territory, it was simply rare to find these two staying behind observing him with such inquisitive eyes. They approached him out of curiosity, beguiling him with their zealous attitudes. The hero was too proud to show his gratitude but on that unforgettable day, he succeeded in bringing with him two new friends.

When he knew that the twins were staying at this orphanage, he visited them regularly just to be their playmate. What amazed him though wasn't the fact that they were eager to befriend him but the way they never tried to flatter him like others did. The genuineness captivated the super boy, so much that he vowed to do everything for the other two. Subtlety however was not able to sustain their so-called friendship. Somehow, something went wrong. It might be his fault. It might be the twins'. Splendid never knew who was responsible for their major fall-out. One day, the older twin asked the super boy to stop showing up again. It was a request ever so brutal and incomprehensible that it broke the bluenette's heart. Before he could investigate what he had done wrong, the twins started distancing themselves from him, just like everyone else. It wasn't surprising that they split their path and took different roles afterwards. Nothing was ever done to rationalize their imbecile quarrel. They simply realized that they could never be in one another's heart again.

"When you left and stopped meeting us again, you said exactly the same thing you did yesterday." The greenette said with a faint smile.

"You mean…"

"You said you wouldn't care about us anymore…"

The bluenette gasped, wondering how such an impulsive speech could have poured out of his mouth. Indeed, he was seething in anger then, but those words still sounded unexpectedly harsh when he came to think of them.

"Well, Splendid…Please don't say things like that again." Lifty said, squeezing the hero's collar as if he was begging him for a huge favor. "Because…it makes Shifty upset. Very upset."

"But…" The bluenette sighed, feeling all sorts of emotions when he recalled how Shifty told him off as if his existence was nothing but scum. "He was the one who sent me away. He said I wasn't needed anymore. I wasn't to be seen again."

"He lied." The greenette said bluntly. "You should have known he lied, right? It's because that red guy always came harassing us when we were small…He didn't like us being around you."

"What red guy?" Splendid frowned in confusion.

"You know…the one with red hair…I don't remember what he's called." Lifty said, re-telling his own version of the tale. Nothing could have been etched in his heart so deeply as the day Splendid dismissed their friendship and left without a trace. Even though Shifty was the one who initiated the mindless duel, the twins never wanted to get separated from the super boy. They were only bribed to do so, or more precisely, menaced to oblige.

"You mean…my brother, Splendont?" The bluenette answered for him. Never had he thought that Splendont would have something to do with ravaging their relationship. If only he had been told earlier, he would have done something.

"What did he do?" Splendid asked, unhinged at the nerve-wracking truth.

"He said we weren't supposed to hang out with you."

"Why?"

"Because we didn't have a home. We were just useless strays. We were dimwitted, cumbersome and abhorrent…That's what he described us. You were just messing with us out of pity…We would only get in your way. We couldn't do anything right either."

"That's absolutely not true!" The bluenette cried, shaking the other boy frantically. "Why didn't you tell me this before? Why? You shouldn't have listened to what Splendont said! He's just a nasty clone of me! You shouldn't have believed him so easily! You shouldn't have!"

"Shifty didn't want me to tell you." Lifty admitted bitterly. "He said…if you were to become a hero, we might as well become the bad guys. That's the only way to get in touch with you…because your brother hates us to death. He doesn't want us near you. If we…If we became criminals, you would come hunting us down…You would talk to us…And you would at least care something about us…isn't that right?"

"Stupid! You guys are so stupid!" Splendid wailed. "That doesn't give you the right reason to become thieves, dumbass! You could have asked for me if you wanted to see me! You didn't have to go so far as to steal and rob!"

"We couldn't ask for you…" The greenette said glumly. "Before long, we started getting hooked on the stuff we did…We couldn't hold back anymore. We got addicted to stealing. We got addicted to pissing you off just so we could speak to you…or maybe to let you kill us."

"You're all wrong!" The hero vociferated, no longer able to stifle his own eruption. His loud laments brought the greenette another wave of guilt. Breaking down at once, the young thief joined the other boy in tears. The memory remained crystal clear in his head. It was lucid enough. There was no way he could ever forget their friendship. He was though forced to break it apart. It was never something he meant to do.

"And to think all this time, you guys were just getting tired of my company so you sent me off…I was so sad because I thought I had finally found some decent friends and then…and then you stopped letting me see you. I thought I did something wrong but I couldn't apologize."

"You did nothing wrong…Nobody ever talked to us like you did." The greenette said, staring down at his lap. "When you said you wouldn't care about us anymore, we were so scared that we had to find way to see you again. Shifty didn't mean it when he asked you to stop coming to us. But you took his words so seriously. You didn't visit the orphanage again."

"I couldn't have thought it was a lie." The bluenette yowled. "You know even if it was one, I would still believe it!"

"Everyone hates us." Lifty mumbled. "It doesn't matter if you do. We've always been lying to you. It's only natural you don't want to have anything to do with us again."

"Wrong! I don't hate you. I don't!" Splendid barked.

"I'm so happy to hear that." The greenette smiled brightly, feeling ever so relieved. He didn't think his confession would actually turn into some sort of reconciliation. After all, the truth had always been concealed by the two brothers. They were both too vain to concede their defeat. They couldn't have told the hero that they had been missing him all along and that they had never ever once forgotten about their past. Even the times they conflicted with each other were among the most precious things in the world.

"Shifty seems to have gone out." Splendid said after peeking into the older twin's room.

"Where did he go?" Lifty asked.

"I don't know." The hero shrugged, shutting the door gently. "Say, Lift, do you want to do something cool? We can hang out somewhere special today. I don't have to work."

"Okay!" The greenette nodded his head fervently and joked. "Is it a date?"

"Ugh, it's just…" The bluenette blushed, half-chuckling. "Whatever you call it. Let's have a blast."

* * *

The bluenette smirked as he handed the gigantic cotton candy to Lifty. Somehow, they ended up promenading in a weekend market. The greenette was completely carried away by the fun. The hero though had a better reason to wallow in the nostalgic moments which reminded him gravely of how they used to fool around as kids. He felt like redeeming something, something their corrupted friendship had been lacking. And yet, he couldn't describe the sensation engulfing him. He felt both enlightened and charmed. When the young thief suddenly clutched his hand, his mind went blank for a swift second. A chuck of cotton candy was shoveled down his throat.

"Erm…" The bluenette coughed involuntarily, feeling instantaneous sweetness melting in his mouth.

"I thought you might want some because for a moment you were…slobbering, hehee." Lifty snickered, hurling a bottle of water at the hero.

"You didn't have to shove it into my mouth. You could have choked me, you know." Splendid grumbled, taking a sip of the water.

"Yea…I'm sorry." The other boy apologized, looking repentant at once.

"Hey, it's nothing." The bluenette giggled, draping his arm around his friend. "Wanna eat something? It's almost noon."

"Sure."

They marched into a random diner, only to be greeted by an unsightly scene. The greenette nearly cried when he saw the gang that had been molesting him earlier. He recoiled fearfully and hid behind the hero. The blond was the first to notice the two boys. He whispered something to his companions and they all turned to gape at the special guests. By then, the young thief was already jiggling in tears, clinging helplessly to the bluenette as flashbacks of atrocious memories haunted him.

"It's okay. Do you want to leave now?" Splendid murmured, trying his best to shield the greenette. He felt a slight nod from Lifty and was about to whirl around when the blond's voice caught his ears.

"Hey…" Cuddles yelped, standing up from his seat hastily as his best friend Toothy swaggered towards Splendid.

"Wait." Giggles murmured, tagging along with the buck-toothed boy. Sniffles and Nutty stood silently in one corner, their eyes fixated on the jittery thief.

"Sorry, my friend isn't feeling very well. Excuse us, if you please." Splendid said, clasping Lifty's elbow tightly trying to pull him away from the gang.

"Your friend?" Giggles scowled. The others all gasped at the astonishing phrase.

"Yea." The hero said unreservedly, not wishing to lie whatsoever. "Is there a problem?"

"No…not at all." Cuddles sighed. "Actually, we want to apologize for yesterday's…incident."

"Yes…we've mulled over it..." Toothy nodded ruefully. "We're sorry."

"We went a bit over the edge yesterday." Sniffles said.

"We were just angry when we thought of what he did to us back in the past." The girl claimed, nervously scratching the pink bow on her hair. "And we lost control. We didn't mean to hurt him like that. We just wanted to warn him not to steal from us again."

"It's…alright." Lifty said, still burying his face in Splendid's back. The slur in his speech convinced others that he was still crying.

"We didn't know that it would…have such an impact." The blond said in guilt. "Sorry."

"So…he doesn't remember anything, right? Not even us?" Giggles asked.

"I don't think so." The hero shook his head and turned to the greenette. "Lifty, do you…er..want to forgive them? You can be friends again."

"I was never…mad at you all." Lifty said, stunning everyone. "I was just sad…I must have done something awful to you guys to make you so angry at me."

"Geez…he's like…a completely different person." The blond gulped, thunderstruck.

"He isn't Lifty at all!" Giggles exclaimed.

"He is, indeed." Splendid said. "He just doesn't remember his past."

"I see." Toothy muttered. "Do you want to join us for lunch? We'll treat you both something as an apology."

"What do you say?" The hero stole a quick look at Lifty, who merely smiled and nodded.

"Cool." The blond chortled. "Come on in."

The gang treated the two boys full sets of lunch as a proof of their sincere apology. It didn't take them long to realize that the greenette had transformed into someone indiscernibly amiable and frail. It simply surprised everyone and at the same time pitched them into greater shame for what they had done. The young thief though was relishing every bit of the group's kindness as though nothing had ever happened between them. His forgetfulness and vast endurance somewhat alerted the hero. The way Lifty was behaving completely suggested that he was far from recovery. It was even possible that he might stay this way forever.

And yet, it wouldn't be a bad thing at all. For a beautiful soul to be trapped inside such a sinful skeleton, it basically spellbound every single person. It was then the bluenette found himself irresistibly engrossed in this boy he had even once declared as his nemesis. And when that queer sensation he had felt earlier started to relapse, he knew there was a need to seek for an answer, an answer to reply him what their relationship had been lacking for all these years.

"Are you going somewhere after this?" Giggles asked keenly, slumping down next to the bluenette and hooking hands with him.

"Er…yes? Probably." The hero grinned. "It depends on where Lifty wants to go."

"I see. Next time, you ought to call me out. I'd love to join you guys." The girl laughed, leaning forwards to blow the words right into the bluenette's ear. "After all, I'm your favourite damsel, right?"

"I…guess." Splendid flushed, shying away from the flirtatious girl. Almost looking as if he wanted to flee from the problematic place as soon as possible, he slipped out of his seat and dragged Lifty with him.

"See you guys later." The gang shouted.

"Yea." The hero tentatively waved back and slunk away.

They were sauntering along the river bank when the bluenette felt another sudden squeeze in his heart. Something was clearly going astray or so he thought. The young thief remained speechless the whole time. His silence began to trigger the other boy's paranoia.

"Lifty, is something wrong?" Splendid asked.

"No." The greenette mouthed, though his face revealed otherwise.

"You know you're a bad liar at this stage." The hero quipped, not wanting to sound interrogative even if he was dying to know what was troubling his friend.

"I just don't quite understand something…" Lifty admitted. For some reason, he couldn't comprehend an assortment of emotions. He could feel something but he didn't know how to express that sensation. "When people other than you and Shifty smile at me, I feel rather happy. It's something I've never experienced before. Why is that so?"

The bluenette stared at his buddy for a while, not sure how to put his thoughts into words. It was pretty believable that the young thief had never experienced this type of likeness from others. After all, the only person he could ever count on was his own twin who kept backstabbing him nonstop. In all his life, Lifty had never been approached by anyone other than the two boys he was so intimate with. The sense of belonging was something he seemed to have yearned for a long time. It was something he couldn't have afforded.

"That's a feeling of ease." The hero replied. "A feeling of acceptance and comfort. It's what friendship is like."

"But…we're also friends."

"Yes."

"But it's different." The young thief blurted out. "I don't feel comfortable when Giggles touched you!"

"Huh?" Splendid widened his eyes and gawked at Lifty in shock as if he had misheard something.

"I don't know." The greenette blushed and turned away in distress. "I felt good when they let me join them in lunch. But when Giggles…sat so close to you…I felt sad…pissed as well. I don't understand why. I'm sorry."

"You…don't have to apologize." The bluenette sighed. He had thought that Lifty was only losing his memory. Never had he expected him to also lose the understanding in so many complicated emotions. It was only logical he felt gleeful to get new acquaintances and awful when someone else seemly stole the hero away from him because he was…

"Lifty…are you jealous?" Splendid asked.

"Jealous?"

"Um…that's how I would call it." The hero giggled anxiously. "Like…you don't like it when I get close to someone else?"

"Exactly! I…don't mean to be rude! I'm sorry if I've said something wrong!" Lifty rambled, the fraught reaction completely benumbing the other male.

"Er…you don't have to get so agitated." The bluenette said, placing his hands on his friend's shoulders to calm him. "I never complain when you express yourself so outwardly. It's not a bad thing at all. I like things to be explicit rather than having you lie to me. It's the same when you didn't tell me that Splendont kept maneuvering you into snubbing me. I know Shifty could never be honest with me but at least…you shouldn't hide so much from me either. I was lying when I said I wouldn't care about you anymore. I did that as a way to sulk. I didn't mean to hurt you both."

"I know you didn't mean it." The greenette smiled coyly. "Because back in the diner, you told the group that I'm your friend."

"Because you really are. I don't feel like keeping it from the crowd. They can judge but they can't meddle in what I do. I have my own preference."

"Splendid, I…" The greenette tried to utter the very same words he had been finding it hard to convey the previous night. It would be a fluke if he actually succeeded. The hero ogled him in awe, feeling somewhat deserted when Lifty shrug the whole matter off.

"I want to go on the Ferris Wheel." The young thief steered away from their discussion reticently, pointing to the enormous construction ahead of them.

"I could fly you around the town, you know." The hero laughed. "Or you want to sit in that little cage?"

"Yea…" The greenette blushed, knowing that his tactic of veering the subject had somehow backfired. It only made him realize once more that those cerulean orbs never failed to penetrate his thoughts and deceitfulness, almost digging into every one of his ill intention. It was probably an excuse to say that he wished to ride the Ferris Wheel. He just didn't want to confront the bluenette valiantly. He was simply abashed to reveal that hidden affection of his. When Splendid regarded their interaction as friendship, the young thief wasn't senseless enough to believe such an innocent statement to be true. Even if he had forgotten so many things and even if he couldn't quite figure out his own emotions, he knew there was something underneath his ragged, disowned heart. It was something so incredibly spectacular and yet hurtful. His nerve shattered whenever he attempted to restrain himself. He wasn't aware then, that such uneasiness actually stemmed out of his insecurity, the fear of requited love.

The bluenette couldn't hide his own reaction either. He wouldn't dare. He was so tamed when Lifty told him that he had always been missed. When he reckoned the twins had ceased being his friends, he thought everything was real. He couldn't see through their grievous mask, their egotistic facade that always suggested nothing but their grudge towards him when in fact, they were hankering after him so much. It would be a lie to say that Splendid never craved for the other two. He had always been harking back to the past. The twins were the only friends he would acknowledge, the only foes he would bother to oppress. He would still stay by their side even if they sent him away. And then, there was this outlandish feeling he strove to smother whenever Lifty muttered sweet words to him, the kind that wasn't supposed to delivered to pure friend. What was this unfamiliarity he felt all of a sudden? He couldn't grasp it. Or rather, his cowardice had prevented him from doing so.

"Splendid, are you…alright?" Lifty asked, poking the bluenette worriedly. They were finally riding the Ferris Wheel but the way Splendid's face turned pallid as if it had been bleached startled the other boy.

The queasiness was obviously tormenting the hero. He lolled in his seat, coughing in nausea.

"Splendid! What's wrong?" The greenette shook him.

"I…I have…acrophobia." The hero said, now crouching on the floor to avoid peering down from the sky.

"Acro…what?" The greenette frowned, kneeling down beside the other boy.

"The fear of height." Splendid smiled timidly. "It's kinda a shame…I don't usually feel much when I fly as long as I don't look down a lot. But this little thing is giving me a vertigo."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to come with me." The greenette apologized.

"I didn't know it would turn out like this. This is the first time I've ever got on a Ferris Wheel." The hero said. "I'll be alright. Don't worry."

"No, you look pale. Can we just jump off from here? You can fly, right?"

"Don't be silly." Splendid laughed. "I want you to enjoy your time here. After all, you wanted to ride this so much, didn't you?"

"No! It was an excuse." The greenette cried. "I'm sorry!"

"I know." The hero grinned. "You were trying to say something to me earlier but you held it back. It's perfectly fine this way, as long as you're happy."

"I'm…not." Lifty said.

"You're…not?"

"No…I want to say it out loud but I can't. If I can't speak it, can I act it out?" The greenette said, his eyes glinting with pleas.

"Sure, if that's what you want." The hero smiled jollily but soon froze when he felt something crushed against his lips. Pressing the bluenette against the seat, the young thief sealed his lips with a kiss.

It wasn't supposed to scare Splendid. He ought to have seen it coming.

But still, being tackled in a flash was a bit overwhelming. He wanted to break the act for air but instead of shoving the greenette away, he hugged him and returned his kiss even more passionately.

Something was dousing his fiery cheeks though. Those liquids were so recognizable. They simply flowed out of Lifty's eyes out of joy. The young thief was sobbing.

"L-Lifty…?" The hero panted after withdrawing from the other boy.

"Splendid…I like you." The greenette professed, crying manically as though all his emotions were being unleashed one by one. "I like you very much. Please, don't ever leave me."

"You know what…" Splendid blushed, flustered. "You're…really dumb."

"Huh?" The young thief stared at the hero edgily, wondering if he had blundered again.

"You shouldn't have…shown yourself so…bluntly." The hero commented, though he couldn't hide his smile successfully. "If one day, you remember everything, you might regret having ever done this."

"No! I won't. I will never regret it." The greenette affirmed. "If remembering other things would make me forget about this feeling I have for you, I would rather not remember anything at all! Please let me like you."

"I…never say I don't like it when you like me." The hero cooed. "I'm just afraid that you would find it disgusting afterwards or perhaps in the future, you might even want this to be just a nightmare."

"That will never happen, I swear!" Lifty cried, enfolding the other boy in his arms firmly. "I must have liked you even before I forgot everything. Can't you just believe me?"

"You know even if it's a lie, I'll still trust you, haha." The bluenette said, giving the other boy a light smooch on the cheek.

"I like you, Splendid. I really do."

"I like you, too."


	6. Foolishness

**A/N: So, basically, this chapter explains the real reason why Shifty and Lifty turned into thieves. I have always wanted to make Splendid the cause of their misfortune and saddness as well as the other way round. I want both of them to fall for the hero. As the previous chapter contains a lot of LiftyxSplendid, there are more ShiftyxSplendid moments in this one. The last scene slightly touches upon the brotherly love between the twins :3 Hope you enjoy the update. Read & review！**

* * *

Nothing could have paralyzed the older twin more than the scene in the morning. Perhaps he was just jealous. Or perhaps not. He couldn't tell at all. When he barged into his brother's room only to see the other two boys huddling with each other, a sense of discomfort simply left him aghast. He could have yelled at them or demanded a reasonable explanation as to why the hero was sleeping next to his brother. But still, he let it go. He even shut the door so quietly that it wouldn't wake the two males.

"And he said…he wouldn't care about us anymore?" Shifty growled, feeling so foolish to have actually worried about a rash statement. Splendid was clearly lying. Otherwise, he wouldn't have checked on Lifty at midnight. It might even sound logical because he was only mad at Shifty. The younger twin had always been on better terms with the hero anyway.

But why…why did he feel so unsettling with what he saw? It was as if he had been misled somehow, or double-crossed, or…In the end, Shifty was still unsure of the sensation boiling up in his mind. To get a grip, he skived off for the day, relinquishing everything he ought to accomplish. He felt so oddly subdued just by seeing the other two together. And if he was really envious, which one of the parties was he venting his resentment on? Was it Lifty, his own beloved brother or was it that nosy hero?

"Damn, stingy piece of trash." The older twin grunted, cursing at no one in particular. He was fuming but he couldn't bring himself to cast the blame on anyone. After all, he was the one who had been badgering the bluenette, charging him for fatuous mistakes he didn't even make. Even at that time when they fell out in middle school, he was the one who got all vexed just because of a mindless comment from Splendont.

He remembered how the redhead showed his face one day at the orphanage. The entire purpose of irking the twins was to keep Splendid away from them.

_"__So, you've been hanging out with Splendid, huh? How revolting." The redhead had fulminated, knowing well that even at their age, they had their own pride. "I can't believe my brother would even play with worthless scum like you. Geez, and he's always bringing you so many foods and toys. No wonder we're always missing something at home. Are you some sort of beggars or what? Can't you just go steal something for yourself? You know the way you cling to my brother so much sickens me. But I wouldn't really blame you. After all, you guys have no fucking self-consciousness, always fawning over my brother like that. Do you think I'll let him give the whole world to you both? Gosh, do you even have the slightest bit of dignity, purging my brother of so much fortune? Why don't you become some badasses. Give me a reason to screw you and toss you out of this town. And mind you, my brother is only acting out of pity. He pities you both. That's what he told me, or at the very least, what I've gathered from him. He feels so mighty to be able to help you. Haha."_

Those words were engraved permanently in Shifty's head like a parasite. With each passing day, he grew more and more vengeful because of the disgrace. He wouldn't have believed that Splendid only regarded him and Lifty as subjects of showing condolences. But still, Splendont's speech conjured up a series of wrath and injustice which subsequently caused the twins to stay away from the bluenette. Shifty was the first to make up his mind to retain his little pride. Even if he was an unwanted, abandoned child, it didn't give him a reason to become Splendid's lackey. If the boy was to become someone respectable, someone so distinguished and chivalrous, then the twins might as well become his opposites. This way, people wouldn't even doubt if they were just blandishing the hero to rip him of his fortune. No one would even think that they had anything to do with Splendid. They would be enemies. Even being the hero's nemesis felt much better than being his sidekick. The twins couldn't stand another second of being debased just because they were lowlifes. They liked the bluenette but their affection could never obtain approval from everyone else. They would thus turn their obsession into something else. Before long, they had found themselves immersed in the world of crimes and greed. All the failed attempts in the heist didn't really matter to them as they would always try again. All the loots though could never be compared to this treasure they had pledged to dump a few years back and had been constantly trying to resume. It was the hero's young heart.

He was selfish, all right. Shifty knew himself very well. Even the decision of secluding themselves from the hero was made by him only. Lifty had tried to oppose to it. The younger twin had said clearly he didn't want to be detached from Splendid. But still, Shifty pressed on, all because of what Splendont had said and because of his own stupid damn egotism. Coaxing Lifty to turn against Splendid, forcing him to get addicted to stealing, hypothesizing him with all his hideous lies and afflicting him with his frequent treacherousness were all done to safeguard his own pride. And now, he was suffering from the aftermath, of having betrayed both the hero and his brother.

Karma had come back to ask for his redemption. He was, however, getting jealous over the intimacy between the hero and his twin.

Why was that?

After spending a whole day indulging in alcohol, the older twin finally managed to return to his household. He busted open the door and tossed himself onto the couch. His droopiness though didn't shield him from another irritating scene. He looked up, simply incensed to find the bluenette teaching his twin how to cook. The two were cramped together in the kitchen, with Splendid giving regular instructions to Lifty as they skimmed through their recipes.

"What the hell…" Shifty cussed, eventually catching the other two boys' attention.

"Oh, Shifty, welcome back." Splendid smiled merrily. "We're trying to cook some dinner. Would you like rice or pasta? Or do you prefer pizza?"

"Yes! Splendid is teaching me how to cook all over again." Lifty boasted exultantly. "Since I've forgotten how to do so, I'm trying to learn it so that I can cook for you, brother."

"Since when have you two been so close?" The older twin interrupted, his eyes flashing with disdain.

"Huh?" The other two boys gaped at Shifty in confusion, trying their best to come up with a decent reply.

"We've always been close friends, right?" The younger twin giggled. Snatching a dish of chocolate cakes from the table, he scurried towards his brother cheerily. "Wanna try one? Splendid and I baked them together!"

"No." Shifty declined almost instantly, smacking the plate out of his brother's hands. A loud clonk was heard as the glass got smashed into pieces, sprinkling all the little desserts on the ground. "I don't eat this kind of shit. I hate chocolate!"

"Shifty!" The hero snarled, dashing towards the twins. It wasn't hard to notice that Lifty was already shedding tears.

"Why would you do that?" Splendid roared while taking the younger greenette into his arms. "Even if you've had a bad day, you don't have to be that mean!"

"Do I actually need a fucking lecture from you?" The older twin retorted. "He's my brother, not yours!"

"I'm…sorry." Lifty apologized, shuddering in fright.

"Quit apologizing! Do you seriously think that stupid act will make you look cute or something?" The older twin hollered, glaring at the other two boys. "If you like him that much, you might as well be his brother instead!"

With that, Shifty flung open the door again and stormed out of the house.

"Splendid…did I…do something wrong?" The younger twin cried, collapsing to the floor.

"No, you didn't." The hero replied and rubbed the other boy's back. "He's just being a jerk again."

Shifty couldn't believe he had actually let himself loose and chide his brother so capriciously. He hadn't intended to hurt him like that, especially not when he was in such a fragile state. The second he knocked that plate off Lifty's hands, those emerald eyes identical to his reflected nothing but sheer dolour. It was undeniable that he had failed his twin again. This time, Lifty didn't even do anything wrong. It's not like he was being inept during the heist. It's not like he was being rebellious like a pampered kid. He was…just trying to offer him some desserts. And yet, the thought of the food being made by the other two infuriated him. He felt excluded the whole time even though he didn't request to hang out with them in the first place. Still, the way Lifty looked at the bluenette was stuffing the older twin with so much jealousy. Yes, he was jealous. He could finally admit he was.

Why would he feel that way? Shifty couldn't fathom whether he was simply being possessive and trying to monopolize his brother or he was actually harbouring something unmentionable towards the hero. Either way, he was pissed. He had done so much to resist the bluenette's kindness, fearing that one day he would depend on him like he used to and getting mocked for being such a nuisance and leech. It would only bring him and Lifty more trouble to be seen with that amateur hero. They were just no match for one another. They weren't even meant to meet in the beginning. The twins could have held onto each other by themselves. They were just fed up with their life. They were fooling around in the playground, not realizing the bluenette was there. When they finally caught sight of him, they got so attached to those lonely eyes of his that they felt as though their hearts had been connected with each other long ago. The twins wouldn't say they were actually feeling as solitary as Splendid. But still, they stuck to each other for a fair period of time. Everything crumbled when that pushy redhead suddenly emerged to destroy their entire bond. To say that the twins were flattering the bluenette, it was more the other way round. After all, Splendid was the one who kept giving the twins gifts and everything, way before they started getting into mischief.

Whose fault was it?

Either the twins were too vain or the hero was too ignorant.

It didn't vindicate everyone involved.

Nothing would ever warrant their childish behaviour.

"Shifty!"

The voice he abominated so much but couldn't help missing it triggered another emotional breakdown of the older twin. He burst into tears sitting on a bench. A pair of arms spread out to enclasp him, filling him with so much warmth and reassurance.

"What were you thinking?" Splendid sighed. "Lifty made all those things for you. I only helped a bit. He said you would be tired when you came home. He was expecting you all day. Why were you so mad?"

"I…I don't know." The greenette cried, clenching the other boy's jacket forcibly. "I…didn't mean to…even…I…oh God…why would I…make him cry…again."

"Shifty, listen." The hero bent down facing the older twin, trying to wipe off his tears. "Look at me. What's going on? What's bothering you? We won't know it if you don't tell us!"

"Why are you even here?" Shifty screeched, looking up at once. The hero gasped as torrents of tears pelted down on his shirt and all of them came from none but a person who had always been so brutal and immodest. "I told you back at the orphanage, didn't I? We don't need your pity! Even if we're all messed up, we don't need you to sympathize with us! Why do you keep trampling our lives? Why do you keep stealing Lifty away from me? You said you didn't care about us anymore! Why did you come back? It's always been like this! Even after we turned into thieves and conspired against you, you kept chasing us down! You weren't supposed to do that! You weren't supposed to show us any feelings! I would rather want you to hate us like everyone else than to keep feigning so much empathy to us-"

A sudden hit of soaring pain hushed the greenette as his head swung to the left. The hero, no longer able to stifle his own rage, had slapped the other boy despite knowing how spiteful it was.

"Stop it." Splendid whined. "I've had enough. Why do you keep lying to me? You guys are hurting me like hell. Lifty said you turned into thieves because you wanted me to hunt you down. You did it deliberately to lure me out! And now you were saying that I was the one silly enough to keep bugging you! Damn it! I fucking remember what you told me! I wasn't that forgetful! And yes, I did say I wouldn't care about you anymore but that's because you wouldn't let me care about you! Why would you mistake my sincerity for an act of pity! I never pity you! I never look down on you just because you're different than others. I hang out with you two because I like you! I don't get my pride by buttering you up! I wouldn't be the kind to do that either! I only want some friends. Is that even too much to ask for? Well, is it?"

"No…" The greenette lowered his head and wept. "You wouldn't know how happy we were when you said you wanted to become our friend…Nobody gives a shit about us, but you're different. It's hard not to think that you're just scorning us…We're two hopeless strays anyway. As much as I want you to be on our side, it'll just keep making people suspicious. They'll hate you the way they hate us."

"Forget about the others, please!" The hero squawked, shaking the other boy's shoulders manically. "Why would you listen to them anyway? You shouldn't have believed in every single word they say! I'm your friend and you doubt me. Am I that unreliable? I thought I could be a true friend by sharing my happiness with you! That's why I brought you guys food and toys. I didn't do that to suck up to you! I did that because I wanted to! And you sent me away just because of one obnoxious comment from my damn brother! Were you toying with me or what? Why would you even become a thief in the first place! I don't understand it! I don't!"

"Because…if we couldn't be friends, we could at least be equals!" The greenette said. "If you were the hero, we would become the villains…That way, they wouldn't even say we're following you around like pests..."

"Shut up!" The bluenette yapped, sloshing the thief in the cheek so hard that he tumbled to one side. "You're so stupid, both of you! I can't believe I've actually endeavored so much just to become your friend. And you were never honest with me. Your mouth is always full of lies. Bullshit. Damn it. At least, you could be a bit more like Lifty! If he didn't tell me the truth, I would have been fooled for the rest of my life!"

"So…I guess…you really like him better…" The greenette fumbled, keeping his head down. "If you do like him, take him with you. He might be better off without me. He's always fancied you anyway…"

"Dumbass!" Splendid howled, gripping the other boy's collar to yank him up. "And you're still speaking trash! Can't you at least introspect more about what you've done so far? I'll most definitely not take Lifty away! Even though I do like him better because he's not being such a brat like you, there's no way I would ever segregate you two! I want to be with you both. Don't you get it? If I could, I would pluck my heart out and slice it into half just to make you believe me."

"No, stop it!" Shifty yelped and clutched the hero's wrists in terror that he might actually do as said. "Don't be ridiculous!"

"You're the one being ridiculous!" Splendid wailed, pressing his lips against the other boy's to shush him. Rendered speechless, Shifty could only react with a gasp. Hesitantly, he pulled the bluenette closer and kissed him back. They broke off the smooch a second later, both realizing they had done something they shouldn't have. The hero blushed apologetically and looked away. As for the thief, he was still savoring that particular moment when his lips were being nibbled, his cavern intruded by the other boy's tongue.

"I'm sorry…" The bluenette finally mustered his courage to say.

"I'm the one sorry." Shifty prattled. "You know…when you stopped visiting the orphanage, Lifty cried for days. I could hardly lull him back to sleep. He only asked for you."

"That's not true." Splendid flushed. "When you started brushing me off, Lifty always came to me secretly. He begged me to teach him how to cook so that he could at least be able to serve you some decent food. He knew you wouldn't like it if I offered you help directly. You would only think that I was being pretentious."

"Still, I made him sad. And I owe you a lot." The greenette gabbled. "Lifty must be thinking why he has such an obstinate brother. So wicked…So inconsiderate…"

"You know…he'll always forgive you." The bluenette whispered, gently embracing the other boy. "I don't care what others say or how you think of yourself. We're the last people to hate you. Please, come home with me. Lifty's waiting."

Nestling his head against the bluenette's chest, Shifty listened calmly to that flustering heartbeat. For once, he decided to take into account everything Splendid said. For once, he decided to believe in him. And for once, he nodded his head with a smile so relieving.

* * *

Lifty knew he was in no place to sulk. He should have known Shifty was always temperamental. Such a ruckus was way too common between brothers. But still, it hurt so much. He felt his heart being scrunched and slashed into pieces. He liked Shifty as much as he liked Splendid. It's not like he was neglecting him or anything. He would always be his brother no matter what. Even if he often yelled at him for no reason, he would still listen to his words subserviently. And if he picked on him, he would still view it as a mere game. Why was it so difficult to stay in touch with two people at the same time? Lifty couldn't comprehend why.

The door creaked open slowly, revealing a shadowy figure in one corner. The younger twin perked up, hugging his knees meekly as his brother strode towards him. Without a word, Shifty wrapped his arms around his twin tightly.

"B-Brother?" Lifty frowned, returning the other boy's embrace.

"I'm sorry, Lift." The older thief said. "I take back my words. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"It's okay." Lifty chuckled, breaking down into happy tears. "I'll always forgive you, bro."

And yet, even if he hated him so much, he loved him even more.

"I…want to eat the stuff you cook." Shifty said. "I'll eat all of it."

"You would get a stomache if you eat too much, you know." Lifty sniggered.

"Then, let Splendid fly me to the hospital." The older twin snickered back.

"Screw it!" The hero butted in, towing both boys towards the dining table. "I'm starving like hell."

As they settled down across each other, they all burst into fists of laughter.

At night, Shifty offered to rcok his brother to sleep. It was something he used to do when they were kids, when they innocently believed in monsters and devils and when they still thought that sleeping with each other would protect themselves from any peril or nightmares. Indeed, Shifty had never forgotten those nostalgic moments where he would always whisper to Lifty how much he loved him. Everything seemed to fade as they grew older though. By the time they became young adults, there were no longer sweet words between them.

"I'm sorry, Lift." The older twin apologized again as he tucked his twin into bed.

"That's okay." Lifty smiled, lying down. "Shifty is just jealous, right?"

"Huh?" Shifty whooped, surprised by his twin's sudden sharpness.

"Splendid told me that this feeling of insecurity when seeing someone you like close to another person is called jealousy." The younger twin tittered, tugging the other boy's hands warily. "Brother, do you like Splendid?"

"Eh? What? That's…urgh…no!" Shifty stuttered, his cheeks reddening. "Who in the world would…really…like that dumbass?"

"I do." Lifty laughed. "But Shift, you're lying. It's so obvious. You know, if you aren't honest enough, Splendid will be mad at you. Even when you said you didn't like him, you always blushed when he spoke to you."

"Go to sleep, Lift." The older twin said, turning his crimson face away.

"But Shifty, you wouldn't say something to hurt Splendid anymore, right? Right? You wouldn't send him away again, would you? I want us to be good friends!"

"Geez, and I thought when you asked me instead of him to sleep with you, you were really going to tell me something more important than that." The older twin snorted.

"I was!" Lifty said, hugging the other boy abruptly. "I want to tell you that I like you as much as I like Splendid. So, please get along with each other."

"Damn, why so cheesy all of a sudden." Shifty flushed. "You've never said this kind of things to me before."

"Really?"

"Yea, you used to jabber on how you would rather not have a brother like me."

"That's…not true! I must have been lying." The younger boy argued. "I've always liked Shifty. Always!"

"Don't be so sweet to me. You just don't remember how many bad things I've done to you."

"Even so, I still like you." Lifty grinned. "You're mean. You always shout at me. And you're totally not as cool as Splendid. But I know you care about me. So, I'm happy you're with me."

"Lift, you…" The older twin sighed, hugging the other boy back to hide his teary face. "You really shouldn't…have…said that…"

"I'm so happy today. Let's go out together next time. The three of us, hehee." Unaware of his brother's whines, the younger twin said with delight.

"Yea…sure…" A faint smile sprawled across Shifty's face. Wiping off his tears with his sleeves, he laid the other boy down and gave him a slight kiss on the head.

"Good night, Lift. Sleep tight."

"Good night, brother." Lifty smiled and shut his eyes in peace.


	7. Fragility

**A/N: I...spent two weeks on this chapter...mainly because I've been really busy and because I've been thinking hard of how to continue the story decently. It's really difficult to write about all those complicated emotions and feelings between these three characters. While the previous two chapters focus extensively on Splendid x Lify/Shifty, this one will explore deeply the relationship between Shifty and Lifty...Well...I don't know why I would portray them this way. I'm not even sure what sort of brotherly love I want them to have. It's getting a bit astray but...never mind xD As long as I think it's still cute at that, I would go along with what I've got here. Can't promise you with the next update yet. Seriously got a lot to handle these days. Enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think of it. Thanks :3**

**Oops, I forgot to answer one of the Guest reviewers' question. I have never thought deeply about the height of these characters. I think they are more or less of the same level. Shifty and Lifty of course will have the same height. I would actually prefer them to be slightly, very slightly taller than Splendid haha.**

* * *

_"__Shifty! Shifty! Shifty!" The younger twin yelped, trying hard to catch his brother's attention. The older lad ceased running at once and turned around, gasping at the sight of his fallen brother._

_"__Lift?" Shifty gulped, staring at the other boy who was writhing on the ground with a sprained ankle._

_"__Don't…leave me alone, bro!" Lifty sobbed, spreading out his arms vulnerably. "Help me…"_

_Without a second thought, the older twin trotted back towards his companion and helped him up. Wrapping one arm around his brother's shoulder, Lifty tottered in agony._

_"__Are you alright, Lift?" Shifty asked worriedly, holding his sibling close to him._

_"__It hurts…" Lifty wept, choking on his own whimpers._

_"__Ay, you're such a crybaby. I asked you to walk faster but I didn't ask you to trip over a pebble." Shifty growled. Despite his slight annoyance, he heaved his twin onto his back. Lifty widened his eyes as his brother started carrying him home._

_"__Quit crying, Lift. You're soaking my shirt!" Shifty snorted._

_"__Y-Yes…Yes…" The younger twin giggled and buried his face in his savior's shoulder._

_"__Oi, I asked you not to wet my shirt! Are you doing this deliberately?" Shifty yapped. "I'm gonna drop you off here! You're so heavy!"_

_"__No, don't!" Lifty pouted. "You can't abandon me! You said we would always stick together!"_

_"__Yea, but you're so clumsy." Shifty grunted. "So noisome. So stubborn. You're always giving me trouble!"_

_"__But bro, you'll always come back for me, right?" Lifty chuckled, brushing his cheek against his twin's. "Because we are the invincible twins, hehee~"_

_"__Nah, you're so talkative. If you can say this much, I suppose you aren't really hurt." Shifty sneered._

_"__Ah! I'll shut up for now." The younger greenette puckered his lips and smiled, not before he whispered into his twin's ear. "You're the best, brother."_

Lifty rubbed his eyes and yawned, the lucid dream still lingering in his head. Rolling to his left side, he smiled cheerfully at his snoring brother. He leaned in and kissed the other boy slightly. The brief contact of their lips though was enough to wake the sleeping male. Shifty opened his eyes just as his brother pulled away timidly, his cheeks appearing rosy pink under the illuminating sunlight.

"Lift?" Shifty blinked curiously at his brother. Did he just…kiss him?

"S-Sorry…" Lifty muttered and winced coyly. "I…didn't mean to wake you."

"Nah…that's alright…" Shifty smiled. "But why would you do that?"

"What?" The younger twin tilted his head in confusion.

"The kiss." Shifty scoffed. "Did you mistake me for Splendid or something?"

"No." Lifty shook his head honestly. "You don't like it?"

"No, that's not what I mean." The older twin sighed. "We don't…ugh, usually kiss, you know. It's weird."

"Is it?" Lifty laughed softly. "I suddenly wanted to do that because I remembered something."

"You…remembered something?"

"Yes." Lifty nodded elatedly. "Remember when we were still in the orphanage, we often sneaked out to find Splendid during Christmas? Once, I fell on the ground and sprained my ankle on our way back. You carried me on your back. It was snowing and you actually burned your feet after the long walk."

"Oh yea, that time…" The older twin blinked in amusement. "It was your fault, Lift. If you weren't that clumsy, I wouldn't have gotten my feet frozen by the snow, haha. How nostalgic…"

"I thought you were going to abandon me there." Lifty muttered shyly and twiddled his fingers. "I was slow. I couldn't catch up with ya…"

"I…" Shifty paused for a long while, simply puzzled by his brother's response. He wouldn't have remembered something like this if Lifty hadn't brought up the topic so abruptly. They were kids after all. They were inseparable. There was no way he would dump his little twin knowing he was injured. But this remnant of beautiful memories conjured up something else in Shifty's mind. It was **_guilt_**.

He could easily count the number of times he had actually run back to help Lifty when he was in trouble. It couldn't have been more than five times. However, he had long lost count of how many occasions in which he had actually decided to dump him, mostly when they had grown up and become thieves. The younger twin just wasn't aware of the fact that he used to be abused incessantly by his brother. If he could recall those horrifying moments where he was betrayed callously by someone he clung so dearly to, he wouldn't be showing such a grateful and lovable expression towards Shifty for sure.

"I would never abandon you, silly." The older twin blurted out, despite how deceitful the utterance sounded. He admitted he had never been a good brother. When he really did care for Lifty, it was always enough to delight the younger boy. To have been both the cause of someone's happiness and sorrow, it filled him with nothing but shame.

"There was a time when nothing really bothered us, when we were simply happy because we had each other." Shifty confessed. He didn't know why he was saying this to Splendid, who was standing in the kitchen preparing their breakfast. The bluenette frowned awkwardly at the thief, seemingly astounded to hear such a peculiar sentence coming out of his mouth.

"You mean…you and Lifty?" Splendid asked, glimpsing the younger twin who was sitting calmly in the living room, obviously unable to hear the two's conversation.

"Yea." The greenette mumbled, staring at the ground. "I didn't know it would make him so happy when he twisted his ankle and I ran back to help him. I never thought such a simple thing was enough to content him and to see I haven't been doing anything particularly good for him for the past few years kinda makes me feel like I owe him a lot."

"Well, in that case, maybe you can make up to him?" The bluenette chuckled. "And if the past is so hard to forget, it doesn't help much if you struggle with the presence. Whatever you've done, he's forgiven you anyway. There's nothing else to worry as long as you don't backstab him again."

"There is! What if…What if he remembers the worst moments he's spent with me?" Shifty scowled. "Do you think deep down, he's always hated me somehow? Even if he didn't lash out honestly, every time he got resurrected after I left him to death, he would always look at me with so much resent. I knew he hated me, so much that he couldn't even tell me."

"And why do you care now?" Splendid asked, blinking quizzically at the thief. It was almost unnatural to see him act so solemn and considerate. "You've never cared about his feelings. You've always had your own way, right? So, why all of a sudden, you…"

"Because he's my brother!" Shifty replied. "And I…I don't want to lose him…"

"You never thought that way before you did all sorts of terrible things to him." Splendid pointed out. "If you only know how to cherish him now, you had better keep your promise. I always thought he could manage better without you."

"That's pretty offensive." The greenette said.

"To have a badass brother like you, I've always considered him extremely tolerant." Splendid joked. "Or if you don't mind, I can take him away with me like you said."

"No!" Shifty denied instantly. "Anyone but you..."

"Well then, you shouldn't hurt him again." The hero laughed and roughly left the meal on the dining table before heading for the door.

"Wait, where…are you going?" The older twin interrogated.

"I'll off to work." The bluenette tittered. "See you later."

"Splendid, will you come back tonight?" Lifty asked happily.

"Yea, possibly." The hero grinned. "Unless of course, I'm not welcomed here."

"That won't happen…right?" The younger twin stole a look at his brother anxiously.

"No…" Shifty shrugged, smiling. "Why would I keep out someone who can take care of our dinner? Tehehee."

After Splendid left for work and they finished their breakfast, the twins sat leisurely on their outmoded sofa and watched television.

"S-Shifty…is there something else we can do?" Lifty asked, leaning against his brother comfortably. It wasn't Shifty's initial plan to stay at home with his twin but considering how many times Lifty had blundered when left alone, the older boy reckoned to play safe, it was better to guard Lifty twenty-four-seven.

"Er…like what?" Shifty asked, repeatedly pressing the buttons on the remote to switch the awful channels they could barely afford to watch.

"When Splendid was here, he would bring me out to the fun fair, to the theme park and to…a place where they had all these wonderful cuisines."

"You mean EAT STREET." Shifty murmured.

"Yes! And we rode on the Ferris Wheel. We went hiking and parachuting. We even-"

"Lift, I…am not Splendid." Shifty interrupted, glancing at his brother in frustration. "I can't entertain you that way. I don't have money. I don't know what you like for the start. I never knew you would fancy those dangerous sports either. And I have no idea what better things we could do other than stay here and rot till dusk."

"I know…" Lifty cooed and averted his eyes. "I'm…not asking you to bring me to all those fabulous places…I just thought since you rarely stay home and we've never really got much time to spend with each other, maybe we can…talk more and hang out in somewhere s-special…?"

"But I'm always with you. Even when I have stuff to do, I'll always come back by six." Shifty argued.

"Yes…I…understand." The younger twin stuttered, hugging his knees in depression.

"Lift, what are you trying to say?"

"It's…strange. It's like no matter how close we are…I still feel that we're so far from each other…" Lifty admitted bitterly. "I can never get to your thoughts…They're always so unpredictable, so overwhelming. It makes me feel so…so…so insecure."

"What about Splendid?" Shifty asked.

"I don't feel that way with him." The younger twin said. "He'll always tell me what he does next before he actually does it. But you...you always surprise me…somehow…hehee."

"So, by that saying, you want me to act like him?" Shifty cocked his brows and smirked.

"No, I mean…I really want to…get to know you better, bro." Lifty sighed. "Maybe if I could just remember everything from the past, I would…be…more confident in being by your side."

"You're good enough, Lift." Shifty said plainly. "You don't have to worry so much because I'll always stay beside you from now on. I'll let you hear as many of my thoughts as possible. I'll clear off that invisible distance between us that's been bothering you. Is that okay?"

"Yes!" The other boy nodded cheerily. "You're the best, brother!"

"That is an overstatement." Shifty sniggered. "If you want to go out, I can accompany you. But don't go anywhere expensive, okay?"

"Okay~"

Shifty couldn't quite recall the last time they had actually had a date together. It could be five years or worst, a decade ago. They had never really spent much genuine time with each other, not to mention every time when Lifty suggested going shopping or travelling together, Shifty would always dismiss his invitation in a flash. The older twin had often ignored his brother in one way or another, completely overlooking his wishes. Lifty was absolutely right when he pinpointed the fragility of their relationships. They were so close to each other and yet so far. Lifty was the one always endeavoring to please his twin. Shifty though had always been the one declining his every approach and slamming the door right on his brother's face. It only intensified the recurring guilt in Shifty's heart when Lifty said he wanted to understand him more. How could he not understand him? They were brothers! They were twins! They were supposed to have telepathy!

But still...they had never been able to get through the other one's mind. When Lifty naively thought that his brother would not ditch him, he did. And when Shifty thought his brother would take revenge on him for backstabbing him, he didn't. Everything had always been ambiguous between them, their love so vague, their grudge so blurred. And the truth was never true enough. And they knew they would still call themselves brothers at the end of the day. Nothing had changed…

The date wasn't supposed to be anything special, but it did stir up some sort of hard feelings. To realize that most of the time they spent together was only during the heist was pretty deplorable. They might have been seen as inseparable by the outsiders but the truth was, despite residing under the very same roof, the twins had hardly hung out with each other for purposes other than running into mischief. Nothing done now could probably compensate for what had been severely neglected over the past several years. Lifty might not have remembered everything but even so, that empty gap in his heart was too hard to omit, so was Shifty's.

"Oh look!" Shifty snickered merrily as he spotted a sudden treasure on the ground. The thing was too familiar and valuable to miss. It must have been dropped by a pedestrian on the road and so very fortunately, the greenette was the first one to discover it. Picking up the $500 banknote, Shifty nudged his twin with a triumphant giggle. "This has got to be my lucky day."

"Brother, someone must have dropped it. Shouldn't we return-"

"Sh." The older boy shushed his twin and quickly slipped the money into his pocket. "Nah…are you crazy? If there's free gold, are you really going to pass it away? Plus, we don't even know who the hell lost it!"

"But…"

"This is $500, Lift. We aren't talking about some measly shit like $5. I found it. It's mine. Whoever lost it just had a bad day, haha."

"Oh…" Lifty sighed. "Is money really…that important to you, Shifty?"

"What? Of course!" Shifty exclaimed. "Funny you would even ask that! It's the most important thing one earth!"

"Really? Even…more important than me?" Lifty asked woefully.

"Ye-" Shifty was about utter the word "Yes" but he stopped. The question shouldn't trouble him at all, for he had already made it explicit that money was his priority. And yet, he couldn't help smacking himself mentally as he stared at those disappointed eyes which were glimmering so wretchedly back at him.

"No, that's not…really what you think." Shifty stammered anxiously, partly because he didn't want to make Lifty sad and partly because he did need some clarification on his previous statement. "Look…Lift, money is important…There are too many things we can buy with it in this world. It makes up what we need in our life. We can't possibly survive being this poor…and…well…that doesn't mean it's the only thing I care about…Yeah, I'm happy when there's money but…you're also important to me, Lift, because you're my brother. You're the only family member I can actually keep beside me but money…it's just something for me to spend. I would never compare you to other stuff, just so you know."

"R-Really?" Lifty smiled at once. He never expected his brother to give such answer. It was actually quite out of Shifty's characters to even claim that something was more important than money and greed. But above all, including the fact that he might be saying this as a lie to avoid hurting Lifty, the younger twin was contented enough just by hearing those seemingly caring words.

"Yes, why don't we spend this $500 together? We haven't planned for anything to do yet." Shifty grinned. "It wouldn't be date if we do nothing, right? How about…we go for a movie and grab some big lunch? You can decide on everything else, hehee."

"Yay! That would be fun!"

The two brothers walked down the street and hit the theatre immediately. They spent the remaining cash on lunch, shopping and a number of things they had never done together before. Normally, Shifty wouldn't be the kind to waste any time on recreational activities but that 'fun' Lifty mentioned was really something special. He never thought they could ever spend a decent day without bickering or screwing things up. In all honesty, their life had never been happy. There had never been much fun without money around and they certainly hadn't seen each other as much of an indispensable, affectionate company. Anything even correlating to brotherhood or love in the past would always sound disgusting to them. Greed was what had been flashing across their mind for so long. It had indisputably corrupted their bond and led them into a sinister route of endless betrayal and quarrel.

"When we were small, you used to mess around in that dingy thing." Shifty said, pointing to a pool of sand in the playground. The day was inching closer to an end. The two brothers were sitting side by side on the swing sets in the park, both tranquilly admiring the beautiful sunset.

"And I would always trample your sand castle and call you _girly boy_." Shifty confessed, laughing a bit. "But you were never angry at me. I wonder why."

"I…don't know…" Lifty answered. "Maybe I never felt angry with you, bro."

"We met Splendid here for the first time, you know." Shifty added, now pointing to the slides. "That dumbass used to come here often but never play. Guess he couldn't really mingle with other kids. He kept watching us though. I was actually starting to freak out but one day, you actually said to me _'Hey, Shifty! Don't you think that boy looks kinda lonely? Should we go up and talk to him?'_ Seriously, Lift, I had no idea what was on your mind at that time. You ended up chatting with him actually."

"Did I…really say that?" Lifty giggled, trying his best to recall something.

"Yes. And it turned out that Splendid also wanted to speak to you but he was too shy to do so." Shifty grunted and rolled his eyes. "Can you believe it?"

"No…" Lifty shook his head slightly and tittered. "Splendid doesn't look shy at all."

"Oh, he's a hypocrite. That's why." Shifty said. "And then, there was a time we always played hide-and-seek. We would trick Splendid to be the catcher and for some reason, that dumbass always spent hours to find us. We always had more than enough time to take an afternoon nap before he caught us somewhere."

"I…can't imagine Splendid that…clumsy either." Lifty laughed.

"He couldn't even master his superpowers well at that time. He never used them." Shifty said. "Without them, he's a real moron like you, Lift, haha."

"And you've always been this mean, Shift." Lifty smiled, staring calmly at a group of young kids in the distance. One of them was apparently being picked on by some larger lads. The kid was pushed to the ground crying. A second later, the kid's brother came rushing to him and yelling at their enemies.

"Once," Lifty murmured, keeping his eyes fixated on the scene. "I was chased down by some big bully near the merry-go-round. I didn't know what to do. I was crying and you came around. You punched him in the face and helped me escape. I never thought you would appear and protect me, Shifty. That guy was so frightening but you didn't run away without me. I was truly glad. And what you said back there was…so cool."

"What…did I say?" Shifty asked. Sure enough, he remembered there was such event in their childhood. He even remembered how he got beaten up just to defend Lifty. That was also when he came to realize how much of a challenging task it was to look after his cumbersome little brother.

"You said _'no one can mistreat my brother except me.'_" Lifty said. "It's weird that those words suddenly pop up in my head just now. Well…I guess I've remembered something again, hehee."

"You have." Shifty chuckled. "Those are some damn good memories you want to keep. You've never paid me back for fighting that bully for you! What an ungrateful brat you are."

"I'll pay you back now, okay?" Lifty snickered.

"Sure, how?"

The younger twin laughed nervously and gripped his brother's collar. Gently pulling Shifty towards him, Lifty brushed his lips swiftly against the other boy's. The older twin gasped in surprise but didn't cringe. It would be too wrong for him to say that he actually enjoyed the kiss from his own brother. He knew it didn't mean anything. After all, what Lifty had been doing ever since he lost his memory was always ridiculously unfathomable. He didn't seem to have taken into account of any consequences of his frivolous behaviour. And yet, all these complex feelings and mixed emotions he caused Shifty were amazingly indulgent. They invoked so much guilt and remorse from the older twin.

"Will this do?" Lifty whispered as he broke the kiss. The beet red blush on Shifty's face deepened when he felt his brother's intent gaze on him. He was supposed to remind Lifty not to kiss him again because it wasn't appropriate but instead of censuring his twin, he actually lowered his head and nuzzled the other boy's neck.

"Yeah…" He whispered back softly. "It's enough."

"And I still forgot to say _'thank you_, _brother'._" Lifty grinned.

* * *

The hero was home before the twins were. After getting the dinner ready, he sat down on the couch and pondered hard over the words he had heard in daytime. He tried to process Giggles' speech sensibly. He had bumped into her earlier in the morning and in regard to Lifty's loss of memory, she had actually offered a pretty shocking advice.

"Yo, what're you spacing out for?" A harsh pinch on the cheek snapped Splendid out of his trance. He looked up to see Shifty smirking at him. The twins had entered the house without the hero's knowing. Splendid took a quick peek at Lifty. The boy seemed to be in a particularly bright mood.

"I need to talk to you for a moment." Splendid muttered and dragged Shifty into the corridor.

"Huh?" The older twin frowned but didn't protest.

"I…had a conversation with Giggles today." Splendid said quietly, keeping his voice in the minimum volume. "She has suggested something to help Lifty. She told me that Mole is currently working as a therapist in the hospital. He's been helping a couple of people with amnesia to regain their memory. He's offering to help Lifty as well, if you permit. Say, will you want Lifty to receive this treatment?"

"Hm…" Shifty paused, not exactly knowing what to say. This was probably a golden opportunity to cure Lifty since the medication didn't seem to be much effective. Some therapy might actually turn out successful. However, as much as he wanted Lifty to recover from his trauma, he actually wished he could stay like this for a while longer! Without remembering everything, he knew his younger brother would never be hurt again. He would continue to live in this innocence and subtly. He would do things freely according to his own whims. He wouldn't have to follow Shifty around in the heist anymore. He wouldn't have to be betrayed again. He would be taken care of by two persons he loved the most. There was no sorrow, no pain, only pure happiness.

"Do you or not want him to try the therapy?" Splendid asked again, adding seriousness to his tone. He, too, was determined to know how it would turn out. It was all up to Shifty's choice, for he was the only legal guardian of Lifty.

"I…" Shifty opened his mouth but before any speech came out, their talk was interrupted by Lifty.

"I want the therapy." Lifty said.

"Lifty?" Both Splendid and Shifty gasped in astonishment.

"Can I?" Lifty skidded towards his brother and smiled. "All those memories we've been talking about today are really beautiful. I want to remember everything we've done together, brother. I don't want my previous life to be complete blankness."

"But…Lift…it might not work…" Shifty said.

"Wouldn't hurt to try." Lifty chortled. "Plus, you guys will accompany me, right?"

"Yes…but Lifty, you don't necessarily have to remember everything." Splendid said. "Like I said before, we won't pressure you into anything."

"Yes, even if you stay like this, it's fine." Shifty said. "We'll always be here with you."

"I…can't stay like this forever." Lifty murmured. "I don't want to. I'll only become a greater burden on you both. I can't live without what I've forgotten. So please, let me try the therapy."

"I'll respect your decision." Splendid smiled. "What about you, Shifty?"

"O-Okay…" Shifty nodded reluctantly, feeling a lump in his throat.


End file.
